page_title: Khaled al-Rahal
section_title: Brief description of major public works
hierarchical_section_title: Khaled al-Rahal / Work / Brief description of major public works
caption_attribution_description: Swords of Qādisīyah, Hands of Victory, Baghdad, Iraq.
context_page_description: Khaled Al-Rahal was an Iraqi painter and sculptor and one of the leaders of the modern art movement in Iraq. Described as one of the "pillars of modern Iraqi art," he was responsible for executing a number of high-profile public monuments in Baghdad in the mid-20th century.
context_section_description: Nasb al-Maseera (also known as the March of the Ba'ath or the Journey Monument)
  Description: Fountain with bronze relief plaques, depicting Iraqi people from different historical periods, climbing to the top of a hill and gathering there to represent Iraqis looking towards a better future along with their achievements over time. The monument also includes references to tradition through the inclusion of an Assyrian lion and a Mesopotamian bull standing over a fallen warrior.
  Dimensions: 7-8 m (height)
  Date: Commissioned in 1973 and dismantled in October, 2005.
  Location: Formerly in Mathaf Square (near the intersection of the Iraq Museum and the bus station)
  Mother and Child (also known as Motherhood)
  Description: Motherhood was a recurring theme in Al-Kahal's work. The public statue is that of a semi-abstract figure of woman gazing out at the future generations while she shields a young child close behind her.
  Dimensions: 4.5m (height)
  Date: 1961
  Location: Al-Umma Park, Baghdad
  Abu Jafar al-Mansour
  Description: Bronze bust of 8th-century Abbassid Caliph and founder of Baghdad, Abu Ja'far Abdallah ibn Muhammad al-Mansur designed to serve as a link between Iraq's illustrious past and its bright future.
  Dimensions: 2m bronze bust, mounted on a pillar
  Date: Completed in 1976; inaugurated in 1979
  Location: Formerly in the Mansour district, Baghdad; partially destroyed by bomb blast in 2003 and dismantled in 2005
  The Unknown Soldier's Monument
  Description: The monument consists of a group elements arranged on an artificial hill. The centrepiece is a cantilevered dome, of reinforced concrete, representing a dira'a (Iraqi shield) falling from the grasp of a dying warrior. At the side of the dome, is a spiral tower, which is reminiscent of the minaret at Samarra. Its external surface is clad with copper, while its inner surface features a soffit finished with pyramidal modules alternating steel and copper. The promenade is covered by a semi-circular, flat roof supported on a triangular steel bracing. The roof is covered with a copper sheet and the soffit displays V-shaped panels of stainless steel and Murano glass. It is surrounded by slanting girders of triangular section that are covered with marble. Red granite, stepped platforms of elliptical form lead to the dome and cubic sculpture. The steel flagpole is entirely covered with Murano glass panels fixed on stainless steel arms and displaying the national flag colours.
  The original concept was the work of Iraqi sculptor, Khaled al-Rahal, with the architectural designs developed by the Italian architect, Marcello D'Olivo.
  Dimensions: The shield is 42m in diameter, with an inclination of 12 degrees; the hill is 250m in diameter
  Date: Commenced in 1979 and completed in 1983
  Location: Zawra Park, Baghdad
  Swords of Qādisīyah, also known as the Victory Arch
  Description: The monument comprises a pair arches located at the entrances to Zawra Park. Each arch consists outstretched arms which appear to be exploding out of the ground and holding a sword which meet at a central point. The swords, which are made of stainless steel, are based on the weapons carried by Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas, the Arab leader at the 7th-century, Battle of Qadisiya (from where the monument derives its Arabic name). A small flagpole rises from the point where the swords meet, at a point about 40 metres (130 ft) above the ground.
  The origins of the concept are not entirely clear. Some sources suggest that the idea for the monument originated with a sketch by Saddam Hussein, while others suggest that it was primarily the work of the sculptor, Khaled al-Rahal in close collaboration with Hussein. Certainly, Saddam Hussein's torso served as inspiration for the work. Al-Rahal used photographs and plaster casts of Saddam's forearms as a model for the design of the hands. Toward the end of the project, after al-Khahal's death, the new project coordinator, Mohammed Ghani assumed control of the project and personally took an impression of one of Saddam's thumbs, with the resulting fingerprint added to the mould for one of th
caption: Swords of Qādisīyah, 1983-1989
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