Baghdad

This article deals with Baghdad as it relates to NationStates. For more general information, see the Wikipedia article on this subject.

'City of Peace'

The Capital of the Federal Dictatorship of United Elias is the ancient city of Baghdad on the Tigris River. The City itself was a recent census shows a population of approximately 9.5 million.

The heart of the city is located near the large Al Karkh district area where the majority of buildings are government ministries and embassies. Nearly all government buildings are constructed in the nineteenth century Ottoman neo-classical style typical of that found in Istanbul. On the Western bank of the Tigris just South of the Yafa Avenue is the building known simply as ‘The Mansion’. This palace is the personal residence of the President and its elegant columns and gables, and formal parkland is identified as the very centre of power. This building is considered one of the most beautiful in United Elias and incorporates many aspects of traditional Arab, Babylonian and of course Ottoman architecture that have shaped the rest of the city in the last thousand years. Another important landmark is the Majis Ash Shura (Congressional Assembly) building on Haifa street by the Jumhuriyah (republic) bridge.

Just across the river in the Ar Rasafah district is what would be best described as ‘downtown’ which is the commercial centre consisting of offices and hotels. Modern Baghdad is a city very much centred on both Financial and government institutions with heavy industry all but disappeared. Most of the architecture in the downtown district is failry modern low-rise, intertwined with older buldings. To the South of downtown is the sprawling campus of Baghdad University, and lining the Tigris on either side there are many large houses mostly for government officials or corporate executives. These villas tend to be quite large and this location is generally considered one the most prestigious area of the city. Nowadays the Tigris River is not used very much for industrial purposes and living along its banks is a luxury that comes at considerable expense.

In the North West of the city there is the ancient Salam city district, largely untouched by the city’s troubled history and a sharp contrast to the modern buildings. This is primarily a residential area, with many traditional bazaars and street markets.On the North Eastern side of the city there are huge residential districts of largely middle class housing and a few high rise condominiums, there is little industry in central Baghdad itself and the majority of the populace live in suburbs that sprawl along the major freeways and railways that stretch South and West. Out to the West there is one of the busiest airports in the Middle East and global headquarters of Elias National Airlines. In the area surrounding the city there are several airbases and military barracks, principally serving the I Corps which is based around the city and is effectively the city’s main military guard.

Baghdad is also one of the safest cities in Elias as it is policed by both local police agencies but also government security agencies and due to the location of central government for the entire country in this city, security is taken more seriously. Public Transport is provided by elevated monorails in the downtown area which descends into tunnels in the ancient parts of the city. Traffic within the city is usually heavy especially during rush however certain privileged people have access to special lanes and shortcuts which allow bypassing regular citizens much easier, especially in conjunction with red flashing lights that are often fitted to official cars.