BAGHDAD — Baghdad’s blast walls are a blank canvas. They reflect Iraqis’ shared history — both proud and painful facts of life here in the capital.
Most of the blast walls, free-standing gray concrete structures lining main streets and the Green Zone, are ugly, bare and foreboding — daily reminders of war.
Last August, Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki ordered the walls removed from Baghdad’s main streets. Days later, a double truck bombing at the Finance and Foreign Ministries killed at least 95 people, and the plan to remove the walls was scrapped.
It is impossible not to notice the walls, and the paintings and markings on them become like landmarks.
Artists have painted some of the walls with reminders of things Iraqis have in common — ancient Mesopotamian history, religious symbols, portraits and patriotic slogans.
Spray-painted graffiti occasionally adorns the walls. Faded and peeling campaign posters from Iraq’s 2009 election are still glued in place.
The walls also record bomb blasts. Pocked with shrapnel holes or blackened with soot, these sections remind Baghdad residents why the walls are necessary.