Baghdad Dar Al-Salam – A City Once Called the Abode of Peace.

I am pleased to announce that my new book, "Baghdad Dar Al-Salam – A City Once Called the Abode of Peace," will be published soon.

In this work, I tell the story of Baghdad from within its walls, from its founding in the eighth century, through its golden age under the Abbasids, to its transformations in the twenty-first century.

In its pages, I blend historical depth with personal reflection, my brief and intense experience as a resident of Baghdad after 2003, and my vision of a city that I hope will regain its essence as the "Abode of Peace."

The book offers a rare perspective from the heart of Baghdad, far removed from the usual outsider perspective, and is an invitation to reflect on the city's past, present, and future.

This book is directed primarily at the international reader. Most of what has been written about Baghdad in languages other than Arabic was written by foreign journalists who accompanied military campaigns or Orientalists who held their visions. The images of Baghdad in their writings reflected their perspectives, not the pulse of its people. I believe this work represents the first serious attempt by an Iraqi writer to present Baghdad in English, after I published a book about it in French two years ago.

But my goal does not stop there. This work is also directed at the young generation of Iraqis living abroad, those for whom migration forced English to be their first language, while their hearts remain attached to the walls and alleys of Baghdad. I wanted to address them in their language and extend a bridge of letters that would take them back to the scent of the Tigris and the warmth of the old alleys, even if only through the pages of a book.