Firdos Square

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Firdos Square, or Firdus Square (Arabic: ساحة الفردوس‎; transliterated: Sahat al-Firdaus), is a public open space in Baghdad, Iraq. It is named after the Arabic word Firdows, which literally means "paradise", both of which are derived from the Persian word, pairidaeza, meaning the same. It is the location of two of the best-known hotels, the Palestine Hotel and the Sheraton Ishtar, which are both also the tallest buildings in Baghdad.

In April 2002 a 12-metre (39 ft) statue was erected in honour of Saddam Hussein's 65th birthday.^[1]

[edit] Famous Events

[edit] April 9, 2003 - Firdus Square controversy

The famous April 2003 toppling of Saddam Hussein’s statue in Firdos Square in Baghdad shortly after the Iraq War invasion.

Firdos Square was the site of the United States Marines toppling the statue of Saddam Hussein. Many critics have since claimed that the event was staged and images of the celebrating Iraqis were doctored to make the crowd appear larger than it actually was.

^{[2] [3] [4]}

[edit] April 9th, 2005 - Anti-American Protest

On April 9th, 2005, the square was the center of a largescale demonstration comprised of tens of thousands of Iraqis protesting the American occupation of Iraq on the second anniversary of the invasion of Baghdad. The demonstration was organized by Moqtada Sadr, a Shi'ite cleric, and supported by Sheikh Abd al-Zahra al-Suwaid a follower of the Green Party. Suwaid was quoted as stating to the gathered "The rally must be peaceful. You should demand the withdrawal of the occupation forces and press for quicker trials for Saddam Hussein and his aides before an Iraqi court."

Firdos square in 2006

Today a New State replaced Saddams, a “modern art” statue^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] See also

• 2003 invasion of Iraq media coverage (Symbolic coverage)

[edit] References

Coordinates: 33°18′52.68″N 44°25′14.43″E / 33.3146333°N 44.420675°E / 33.3146333; 44.420675

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