Walk to Jerusalem Spring Week 6 We had another great week this week. We had 47participants and walked 1221.5 miles! The map below shows our progress through the end of week six (purple line). After an enjoyable time at Ur we headed for Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. Baghdad one of the largest cities in the Arab world, and compared to its large population it has a small area at just 260 square miles. Located along the Tigris, near the ruins of the Akkadian city of Babylon. If you recall the first reading on Sunday 3/14 (2 Chronicles 36:14-16,19-23), God led his people to the King of the Chaldeans (now Iraq) who invaded Jerusalem and destroyed much of Jerusalem, carrying off the survivors to Babylon where they became servants. And the people of Jerusalem stayed there until the king of Persia (Iran), Cyrus the Great helped rebuild Jerusalem. Panoramic view of the Tigris as it flows through Baghdad. Baghdad was founded in the 8th century and became the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate. Within a short time, Baghdad evolved into a significant cultural, commercial, and intellectual center of the Muslim world. Because there were several key academic institutions, including the House of Wisdom, as well as hosting a multiethnic and multireligious environment, garnered the city a worldwide reputation as the "Center of Learning". Baghdad was the largest city in the world for much of the Islamic Golden Age, peaking at a population of more than a million. The city was largely destroyed at the hands of the Mongol Empire in 1258, resulting in a decline that would linger through many centuries due to frequent plagues and multiple successive empires. With the recognition of Iraq as an independent state (formerly the British Mandate of Mesopotamia) in 1932, Baghdad gradually regained some of its former prominence as a significant center of Arabic culture, with a population variously estimated at 6 to more than 7 million. In contemporary times, the city has often faced severe infrastructural damage, most recently due to the United States-led 2003 invasion of Iraq, and the subsequent Iraq War that lasted until December 2011. In recent years, the city has been frequently subjected to insurgent attacks, resulting in a substantial loss of cultural heritage and historical artifacts. As of 2018, Baghdad was listed as one of the least hospitable places to live, ranked by Mercer as the world's worst major city for quality of life. Baghdad, like many other cities in this part of the world, has numerous invasions by other groups throughout history and has instigated conflicts with other countries around them. We first went looking for a Catholic Church where we could pray. St. Joseph's Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Baghdad. Because it is in the jurisdiction of the Latin Church, it is sometimes called the Latin Cathedral of St. Joseph in order to distinguish it from the Chaldean Cathedral of St. Joseph dedicated to the same saint but belonging to the Chaldean Catholic Church (also in communion with the Holy See. It was the Chaldean St. Joseph’s Church where Pope Francis said Mass using the eastern rites for mass. St. Joseph's Latin Cathedral functions as the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Baghdad which was established in 1643 as a diocese and elevated to its present status in 1848. It was originally a chapel built in 1866 to replace a smaller structure dating from 1721. If Baghdad's iconic St Joseph's Latin Cathedral could speak, it would have many stories to tell from its 140-year history, much of which has been forgotten. "The church doors are open to all visitors, Christian and Muslim," reads the banner draped across the gate of the Saint Joseph Cathedral. The Latin Cathedral, also known to people as the Church of the Virgin Lady, was built in 1866 to replace a smaller structure on the same site. Opened in 1871, the church was built in the shape of cross, and its iconic dome stands some 32.8 feet high. The building was used as a hospital during the First World War, and it was partly burned by the Ottomans in 1917. In the early 1970s, when Egyptian immigrants came to Iraq for work, the church was put at the disposal of the arriving Orthodox Copts. In the 1990s, a commercial complex was built on a portion of its courtyard and a statue of Saddam Hussein was erected at the front. It marred a centuries-old view of the church. A young priest, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told The New Arab that the head of the Latin Church was obliged to accept a land reclamation contract for the building of the complex. "No one dared to say no to the regime," he said. Taking advantage of the chaotic state following the US-led invasion in 2003, shop owners expanded their stores and trespassed on territory belonging to the church. There were no laws to protect the place of worship from such encroachment. As violence swept across the country, police officers were assigned to protect the church from potential attacks by militant groups. Instead, the police allowed kiosk owners from the surrounding Shorjah market to throw the cathedral's furniture outside, and to store their merchandise in the church hall. With the protection offered by police nothing more than nominal, ancient statues were ruined, and other church belongings were stolen. "They even stole the bell rope. What value does it have?" But despite the hatred stirred by some, in an old tradition, Muslims still often visit churches to light candles and seek the blessings of the Virgin Mary. Today, the church is in sad condition. Damp walls, broken windows, and barely useable furniture - a sorry state reflective of the epic failure of post-invasion governments. While corrupt Shia and Sunni political parties have all the money and power in their hands, Christian Iraqis, among others from different ethnicities, feel abandoned. In the absence of seasonal maintenance and continuous assessment of the state of this historical church, a single bout of heavy rain was enough to destroy a portion of its dome, which, in a scene out of 1001 Nights, faces the minaret of the 1000-year-old Abbasid-era al-Khulafaa mosque (See picture below). However, the deterioration of the ramshackle cathedral is accelerating. In the absence of systemized maintenance or any preservation plans, Baghdadis fear the imminent loss of another renowned landmark of their city. Violence escalated immediately after invading armies led by the United States, marched to "liberate" Iraq from Saddam. Instead, they "opened the gates of hell", said one priest. Since 2004, at least 118 churches have been attacked, with Christians threatened and displaced from their homes by Sunni and Shia militias. In October 2010, gunmen attacked Baghdad's Our Lady of Salvation church during a mass, killing 58 worshippers. The merchants’ stores have been removed from the church and there were no pews to sit in, but we were able to pray not only for our journey but for the Catholics who still reside in the city. Perhaps this was why Pope Francis held his mass in the other St. Joseph’s Cathedral of the Chaldean Catholic Church. During the 1970s, Baghdad experienced a period of prosperity and growth because of a sharp increase in the price of petroleum, Iraq's main export. New infrastructure including modern sewerage, water, and highway facilities were built during this period. However, the Iran–Iraq War of the 1980s was a difficult time for the city, as money was diverted by Saddam Hussein to the army and thousands of residents were killed. Iran launched many missile attacks against Baghdad in retaliation for Saddam Hussein's continuous bombardments of Tehran's residential districts. In 1991 and 2003, the Gulf War and the 2003 invasion of Iraq caused significant damage to Baghdad's transportation, power, and sanitary infrastructure as the US-led coalition forces launched massive aerial assaults in the city in the two wars. Also, in 2003, internal insurrection cost the city a significant portion of its Assyrians population. The Iraq War took place from 2003-2011, but an Islamist insurgency lasted until 2013. It was followed by another war from 2013-2017 and a low-level insurgency from 2017, which included suicide bombings in January 2018, and January 2021. With this level of war, insurrection, and strife, it is almost surprising that the city still exists. Think about the single day conflict in Washington, DC and imagine that happening decade after decade in the US! After our brief history lesson, we went first to Grand Festivities Square where public celebrations are held and is also the home to three important monuments commemorating Iraqi's fallen soldiers and victories in war; namely Al-Shaheed Monument also known as the Martyr's Memorial), the Victory Arch and the Unknown Soldier's Monument. Al-Shaheed, (Martyr's Monument left) , The Victory Arch (officially known as the Swords of Qādisīyah Qushla right.) Qushla clock tower Next we went to see the Qushla ) public square and the historical complex located in Rusafa neighborhood at the riverbank of Tigris. Qushla and its surroundings is where the historical features and cultural capitals of Baghdad are concentrated. The square developed during the Ottoman era as a military barracks. Today, it is a place where the citizens of Baghdad find leisure such as reading poetry in gazebos. It is characterized by the iconic clock tower which was donated by George V. The entire area is submitted to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Tentative list.