Iraq - The Unknown Soldier Monument

Baghdad
The Unknown Soldier Monument by sculptor Khalid Al-Rhai.

Sent by Ahmed, a Facebook friend from Tikrit City in Iraq.

This is from Wikipedia : The Monument to the Unknown Soldier (Arabic,صرح الجندي المجهول) is said to be inspired by the glorification of a martyr from the Iran–Iraq War. The Monument represents a traditional shield (dira¹a) dropping from the dying grasp of an Iraqi warrior. The monument also houses an underground museum.

The artificial hill is shaped like a low, truncated cone of 250 m diameter. 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 cantilevered dome is 42m in diameter and follows an inclination of 12 degrees. 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.

The cube beneath the shield is made of seven layers of metal, said to represent the seven levels of Heaven in the Islamic faith. Inside the layers of metal are sheets of red acrylic, said to represent the blood of the slain Iraqi soldiers. The cube itself is connected to the underground museum by a long shaft with windows that allow light to shine in from above. Inside the museum, visitors can look up at the ceiling and see through the openings leading to the cube above.

The underground museum is not currently lighted, except for the light that shines in from the windows above and through the doors (when opened). Visitors must bring their own flashlights to view the now-empty cases that once held numerous war relics.

Visiting the monument is permissible during daylight hours, although visitors must ask for permission from the Iraqi soldiers who guard the monument before approaching the monument.