Al-Shaheed Monument

Al-Shaheed Monument also known as the Martyr's Memorial, is a monument designed by Iraqi sculptor, Ismail Fatah Al Turk, and is situatied in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. It is dedicated to the Iraqi soldiers who died in the Iran–Iraq War. However, now it is generally considered by Iraqis to be a commemoration of all of Iraq's martyrs, especially those allied with Iran and Syria currently fighting ISIS, not just of the Iran–Iraq War. Al-Shaheed was built as part of a broader Ba'athist government program to erect a number of public works intended to beautify Baghdad, help instil a sense of national pride, and at the same time immortalise

Saddam Hussein's reputation as a powerful and victorious leader. It was built during the height of a period when Saddam Hussein was commissioning many artworks and spending a great deal of money on new monuments and statues. Designed by the Iraqi sculptor and artist, Ismail Fatah Al Turk 1934–2004, and built in association with Iraqi architect, Saman Kamal, and the Baghdad Architecture Group, the monument was constructed between 1981 and 1983, with its official opening in 1983.