Breathing life into Basra’s past: Revival of Old City is a beacon of hope after decades of war and repression

Sadiq Al Hassoun flips wistfully through photographs, mostly black and white, taken by foreign visitors that show his hometown of Basra, in southern Iraq, during its glory days.

Some images show busy scenes where Shanasheel houses – traditional homes with intricately carved wooden windows and balconies – overlook the Ashar Canal that meanders through the city, helping it to earn the nickname “Venice of the East”.

A Shanaseel home in Basra's Old City. Such buildings have distinctive protruding balconies. The National

“It was a paradise,” Mr Al Hassoun, 65, tells The National, recalling how people used to swim in the canal used by small boats and larger merchant ships. The image of people descending the stairs to get water for drinking and washing is still etched in his memory.

“All that went, starting from the late 1960s, due to neglect and decades of war that not only led to the loss of lives but also the heritage of the whole city,” he adds, a sense of regret and pain in his voice.

Founded in 636 AD, Basra, about 530km south of Baghdad, was a major centre of trade, culture and Islamic scholarship. It endured heavy fighting during the Iran-Iraq War from 1980 to 1988, a bloody uprising against former dictator Saddam Hussein in 1991 and clashes between government forces and local militias in 2008.

More recently, the city witnessed violent demonstrations as part of the pro-democ