Once Upon a Time in Baghdad

71 years before the war that nearly destroyed it.

BY MARYA HANNUN | MARCH 18, 2013

 

Copper workers use traditional wooden horses as they hammer at the metal. Baghdad's Safafeer market has been home to copper merchants and craftsmen for hundreds of years. Only recently has the business faced serious decline thanks to increasing imports of factory-made goods combined with a lack of tourism. The market, made famous by its rich copper history, now sells mostly clothing.

Library of Congress

 

Marya Hannun is an editorial researcher at Foreign Policy.