Al-Khilani Square
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Al-Khilani Square | |
|---|---|
| City Square | |
 A historic monument located in the center of the square | |
| Location | Al-Jumhuriya Street Baghdad, Iraq  |
 Interactive map of Al-Khilani Square | |
| Coordinates: 33°19′57″N 44°24′19″E / 33.3326°N 44.4052°E | |
Al-Khilani Square (Arabic: ساحة الخلاني) is a roundabout located in al-Rusafa side of Baghdad, Iraq. The square is home to many markets and departments as well as al-Khilani Mosque where the square got its name. In addition, the square is located in the center of various important streets that lead to important centers such as al-Jumhuriya Street which leads to the Shorja area, the street that leads to al-Sinak Bridge, and al-Tahrir Square which is 500 meters away. In recent years, the square saw many demonstrations taking place in it.[1]
The oldest building in the square is al-Khilani Mosque.[2] Despite the fact that the date of the mosque's construction is unknown, the oldest record of the mosque is in the year 1726, by Mustafa bin Kamal al-Din al-Sadiq al-Dimashqi in his travel diary to Baghdad.[3] Al-Khilani Mosque is considered a shared heritage between both Sunni Muslims and Shi'a Muslims. Sunni Muslims attribute the mosque to be the burying ground of Ghulam al-Khallal, a famous Islamic jurist of the Hanbali school of thought. Shi'i Muslims attribute and claim that the entombed is Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Uthman, the second of the Four Deputies of the 12th Imam. Hence, the tomb has been taken great care of by Shi'i Muslims since the Kingdom of Iraq period and is regarded as a very important place for them. The square is also located near the ancient Mausoleum of Abdul-Qadir al-Gilani.[4]
The headquarters for the Baghdad Municipality, which manages the public services of the city, is located in al-Khilani Square.[5] Iraqi sculptor and artist Mohammed Ghani Hikmat had once planned for a bronze sculptor of Aladdin's oil lamp from the One Thousand and One Nights as a vision he had in which monuments throughout Iraq would tell the country's history. However, this project never progressed anywhere beyond planning due to Hikmat living abroad at the time.[6]
