Image of Hands of Victory arches

The Swords of Qādisiyyah, also called the Hands of Victory, is a pair of triumphal arches in central Baghdad, Iraq. Each arch consists of a pair of hands holding crossed swords. The two arches mark the entrances to a parade-ground constructed to commemorate Iraq's victory in the Iran-Iraq war . Image File history File links Hands_of_victory. ... Arc de Triomphe, Paris The Gateway of India, Mumbai, India A triumphal arch is a structure in the shape of a monumental archway, usually built to celebrate a victory in war. ... Location of Baghdad within Iraq Baghdad (Arabic: ‎ translit: , Kurdish: Bexda, from Persian Baagh-daad or Bag-Da-Du meaning “Garden of God” [1]) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ... Combatants Iran Iraq Casualties Est. ...

In 1986 (two years before the war's end) the government of Iraq began the construction of a festival and parade ground in Zawra Park, near the extensive presidential complex in the center of Baghdad. Known as Grand Festivities Square, this comprises a large parade ground, an extensive review pavilion, and the two arches. Their official name, the Swords of Qādisiyyah, is an allusion to the historical Battle of al-Qādisiyyah. 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Battle of al-Qādisiyyah (in Arabic: معارك القادسيّة, alternate spellings: Qadisiyya, Qadisiyyah, Kadisiya) was the decisive engagement between the Arab Muslim army and the Sāsānian Persian army during the first period of Islamic expansion which resulted in the Islamic conquest of Iran. ...

Iraq's leading sculptor, Adil Kamil, was commissioned to design these arches. His design consists of a pair of massive hands emerging from the ground, each holding a 140 foot long sword. A small flagpole rises from the point where the swords meet. Kamil used photographs of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein as his model for the design of the hands. When Kamil died in 1987, with the monument incomplete, his position was assumed by fellow artist Mohammed Ghani. Ghani personally took an impression of one of Saddam's thumbs, and the resulting fingerprint was added to the mold for one of the arches' thumbs. An Italian Futurist sculpture by Umberto Boccioni at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City (MoMA). ... Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti, (Arabic ), born April 21, 1937 , was the President of Iraq from 1979 until he lost power over Iraq when American troops arrived in Baghdad on April 9, 2003. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The arches were made by an international consortium led by the German foundry H+H Metalform and including the British company Morris Singer Founders. The guns of Iraqi soldiers killed in the Iran-Iraq war were used to make the bronze alloy from which the arches are cast. Each blade weighs 24 tons. Further, the helmets of 5,000 Iranian soldiers killed during the war are held in nets between the swords and are scattered on the ground beneath. Each Iranian helmet is pierced with a single bullet hole. Several helmets are cemented into the entry and exit points of the parade field, thus being run over during each parade by military equipment as a symbolic gesture. Pickelhaube of a Swedish Royal Guard soldier For the band, see Helmet A helmet (a 15th century loan from Middle French, a diminutive of Frankish helm, from Proto-Germanic *khelmaz, PIE *kelmo- a cover) is a form of protective clothing worn on the head and usually made of metal or...

The site was also home to the Museum of Gifts to the President and a performing arts center. The museum was located on the ground floor of the grand reviewing pavillion where Saddam was known to review the Repulican Guard while firing a weapon in the air. The museum contained ordinary items donated by Iraqis during his rule. Items included cheap plastic ornaments to drawings donated by Iraqi children.[1]

The Grand Festivities Square also contained a large reflecting pool. The surrounding grassy areas hosted Iraqis during military parades. Adding to the festive appeal of the grounds were three refreshments booths that sold ice cream, cold beverages, and candy.

Kanan Makiya's book Monument: Art, Vulgarity, and Responsibility in Iraq (ISBN 0520073762) describes the Hands of Victory and Saddam's programme of producing lavish monument celebrating his reign. Kanan Makiya is the Sylvia K. Hassenfeld Professor of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at Brandeis University. ...

The monument was not destroyed during the 1991 Gulf War, though General Norman Schwarzkopf wanted to [2] during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. As of 2005 the arches remain standing in what is now the Green Zone of Baghdad [3]. 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Combatants U.S.-led coalition Iraq Commanders George H. W. Bush, Norman Schwarzkopf, Colin Powell Saddam Hussein, Ali Hassan Al-Majid, Hussein Kamel Strength 660,000 ~545,000 Casualties 345 dead, 1,000 wounded 25,000 - 100,000 dead, 100,000 - 300,000 wounded The 1991 Gulf War (also Persian... A General is an officer of high military rank. ... Norman Schwarzkopf can refer to: Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf, Sr. ... This article covers invasion specifics. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Green Zone is a 10 km² (4 mile²) area in central Baghdad that is the main base for coalition officials in Iraq. ...

External links

• FAS page on Baghdad
• Baghdad's monuments
• Map of central Baghdad
• Sydney Morning Herald story about Saddam's thumbprints
• Digital Globe satellite photograph showing the Hands of Victory area in the bottom left (from [4])
• Fate of Saddam relics sparks debate

Video

• Video of ransacked Museum of Gifts to the President at the Hands of Victory complex
• Video of Hands of Victory and Grand Festivities Square