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Illustration: Al-Qishla and the Clock Tower
Single-line illustration from the museum’s identity guide.

Landmark 10 / 10

Al-Qishla and the Clock Tower

  • Baghdad · Rusafa, on the Tigris
  • Begun 1861 CE · completed under the governor Midhat Pasha
  • The clock chamber about 23 m above the ground

Engineering story

A barracks, a seat of government and a tower that speaks to the city

Why it matters

The governor of Baghdad, Namık Pasha, began it in 1861 and Midhat Pasha completed it, joining a barracks for the Ottoman army with the seat of the state’s departments. The clock tower was set by the river on purpose, so that the sound of its bells would carry across Baghdad and tell the soldiers when training began. The clock was a gift from King George V. Today it is a cultural space near al-Mutanabbi Street.

In the documentary series19. Ilkhanid, Jalayirid, Turkmen, Safavid and Ottoman PeriodsSix centuries of variety under one banner after another
On the map