Victory Arch, Monument in Hay Zawra, Baghdad, Iraq
Victory Arch is a monument in Hay Zawra, Baghdad, formed by two enormous crossed swords made of stainless steel that emerge from oversized bronze hands. Each blade measures roughly 45 meters in length, and the entire structure rests on reinforced concrete foundations concealed by heaped military helmets.
The arch was built between 1986 and 1989 to mark the end of the Iran-Iraq conflict. Metal from the weapons of fallen Iraqi soldiers was melted down and cast into the bronze hands during its construction.
The swords replicate the forearms of the former head of state, with their thumbs pointing upward. Visitors can walk between the crossed blades and see the five thousand Iranian helmets scattered at the base of the monument.
The monument stands within Zawra Park, a public site in central Baghdad where several other memorials are grouped together. Visitors can walk beneath the arch on foot and view the construction from different angles.
British foundries cast the bronze hands, while German metalworkers forged the stainless steel blades that each weigh 24 tons. The entire construction was shipped to Baghdad in parts and assembled on site.
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