Baghdadi Museum, History museum in Al-Rusafa, Baghdad, Iraq.

The Baghdadi Museum is a history museum in the Al-Rusafa district of Baghdad, featuring dozens of scenes made up of life-size figures that depict city life across different periods. Each scene is arranged with period objects, clothing, and tools to show trades, street life, and domestic situations from Baghdad's past.

The idea for the museum came from Baghdad mayor Midhat al-Hajj Sirri, who returned from a trip abroad with the plan for a folk museum; the city began work in 1968 and opened it on 1 January 1970. The building itself dates to 1869, under Ottoman rule, and first served as a publishing house for the Baghdad governorate. A major renovation in 1985 added the Baghdadi alley with 39 new scenes and 107 new figures, and in 1989 a bazaar, restaurant and music hall were added. Damaged and looted in 2003, it reopened in August 2008.

The museum brings together scenes of traditional Baghdad life, from wedding celebrations to street vendors and craftsmen who worked in the city for centuries. Visitors can walk close to the figures and observe the clothing, tools, and objects that shaped everyday routines in different periods.

Allow enough time to look at each scene carefully, as many small details are easy to miss at first glance. The museum is in central Baghdad and is most easily reached by car or taxi.

The museum holds 385 life-size figures arranged across 77 scenes, and its library keeps 4,830 books, documents and references on Baghdad. Among the scenes are a mother, Oum Ibrahim, scolding her son for leaving the family household right after his wedding, and a traditional zaffa wedding procession with music, dance and colourful outfits.