- CountryIraq
- Town:Baghdad
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Year of creation:1933
- Rider(s):Faysal I
(1885–1933) was a king of Syria and Iraq. He fostered unity between Sunni and Shiite Muslims in order to promote pan-Arabism by creating an Arab state that would include Iraq, Syria and the rest of the Fertile Crescent, much in the same way as Egypt. While in power, Faisal tried to diversify his administration by including different ethnic and religious groups in office. However, Faisal’s attempt at pan-Arab nationalism may have contributed to the isolation of certain religious groups.
- Sculptor(s):Canonica, Pietro
(1869 –1959) was an Italian sculptor, painter, opera composer, professor of arts and senator for life. He used the same mould for the horse of Atatürk in Ankara (1927), of Faysal I in Baghdad (1933) and of Simon Bolivar in Rome (1954)
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Iraqi people, who believed they were “excising the bad memories of the British Mandate and monarchical rule”, toppled this statue in 1958. Saddam Hussein had a replica of the monument re-erected in 1989, possibly in order to align himself ideologically with the Faisal legacy.
Photo by Zzztriple2000
