Victory Arch Monument

The Victory Arch in Baghdad, often called the Swords of Qadisiyah, is a large roadside monument erected by the Iraqi government to commemorate the Iran-Iraq War. It features monumental sculptural elements that form arching swords over a plaza or roadway.

A stark government memorial rather than a leisure attraction, the site draws attention for its scale and symbolic design rather than for visitor facilities. It has been photographed from public vantage points and is part of Baghdad’s network of modern monuments.

Commissioned and built under the Saddam Hussein government, the arch was completed in the late 1980s as part of official state commemoration of the 1980-1988 conflict. The monument has seen periods of alteration, repair, and restricted public access since the 2003 conflict and subsequent years.

Located in Baghdad Governorate, the arch stands within the urban fabric of Baghdad; its immediate surroundings are part of the capital’s ceremonial and governmental precincts.

• Purpose and date: Constructed in the late 1980s as a state monument, it commemorates the Iraq-Iran War and was part of a larger complex of official memorials in Baghdad.
• Design and access: The structure consists of large sculpted hands each holding a crossed sword that form an arch over a roadway; the monument has been subject to restoration and restricted access at various times since 2003.

Within Baghdad, the arch is reached by arterial roads from the city center; local drivers or guided tours are the recommended way to visit given traffic and security dynamics. Public transport access varies with local conditions.

• Visit early morning when traffic is lighter if photographing the monument; mid-day traffic and security cordons can make approaching the arch difficult.
• Be aware of heightened security in the area - conformity with local regulations and document checks can be routine.
• Combine a visit with the nearby former Green Zone areas for a full sense of Baghdad's postwar civic geography.