Seeing Iraq: a photo exhibition - in pictures

  • The winner of the Iraq Initiative Photo Competition is Inside Iraq: Between the Ashes of War and the Pulse of the Street by Ali Dab Dab. This image is Under the Black Skies of Oil - 2016, from the project. In Mosul, oil was set alight by extremist groups to obscure military aircraft. Photo: Ali Dab Dab / Iraq Initiative Conference
    The winner of the Iraq Initiative Photo Competition is Inside Iraq: Between the Ashes of War and the Pulse of the Street by Ali Dab Dab. This image is Under the Black Skies of Oil - 2016, from the project. In Mosul, oil was set alight by extremist groups to obscure military aircraft. Photo: Ali Dab Dab / Iraq Initiative Conference
  • Contradiction - 2019 captures the stark contrast between official rhetoric and lived reality during protests in Iraq. A banner says demonstrations will not be dispersed by force, while an armed security officer points his weapon at the camera. Photo: Ali Dab Dab / Iraq Initiative Conference
    Contradiction - 2019 captures the stark contrast between official rhetoric and lived reality during protests in Iraq. A banner says demonstrations will not be dispersed by force, while an armed security officer points his weapon at the camera. Photo: Ali Dab Dab / Iraq Initiative Conference
  • Ashes of Bureaucracy - 2018. Burning papers scattered by protesters in Basra symbolise unfulfilled promises, unanswered petitions and frustrated aspirations of a generation facing unemployment and marginalisation. Photo: Ali Dab Dab / Iraq Initiative Conference
    Ashes of Bureaucracy - 2018. Burning papers scattered by protesters in Basra symbolise unfulfilled promises, unanswered petitions and frustrated aspirations of a generation facing unemployment and marginalisation. Photo: Ali Dab Dab / Iraq Initiative Conference
  • Two Words, One Frame - 2026 captures the intersection of two powerful forces shaping the Middle East: global consumerism and political ideology, through a commercial billboard alongside a crowded rally. Photo: Ali Dab Dab / Iraq Initiative Conference
    Two Words, One Frame - 2026 captures the intersection of two powerful forces shaping the Middle East: global consumerism and political ideology, through a commercial billboard alongside a crowded rally. Photo: Ali Dab Dab / Iraq Initiative Conference
  • Hope under the Wall - 2023. Small faces and hands forming peace or victory signs emerge through a narrow gap under a banner for the Arabian Gulf Cup in Basra. Photo: Ali Dab Dab / Iraq Initiative Conference
    Hope under the Wall - 2023. Small faces and hands forming peace or victory signs emerge through a narrow gap under a banner for the Arabian Gulf Cup in Basra. Photo: Ali Dab Dab / Iraq Initiative Conference
  • First runner-up is Harvest Season in Al Mashkhab by Tiba Sadeq. A farmer leads his sheep at sunset in the historic farming region. Photo: Tiba Sadeq / Iraq Initiative Conference
    First runner-up is Harvest Season in Al Mashkhab by Tiba Sadeq. A farmer leads his sheep at sunset in the historic farming region. Photo: Tiba Sadeq / Iraq Initiative Conference
  • Farmers stand and talk during an afternoon break in the wheat fields. Photo: Tiba Sadeq / Iraq Initiative Conference
    Farmers stand and talk during an afternoon break in the wheat fields. Photo: Tiba Sadeq / Iraq Initiative Conference
  • Women walk together through palm groves. Photo: Tiba Sadeq / Iraq Initiative Conference
    Women walk together through palm groves. Photo: Tiba Sadeq / Iraq Initiative Conference
  • A farmer stands beside his water buffalo. Photo: Tiba Sadeq / Iraq Initiative Conference
    A farmer stands beside his water buffalo. Photo: Tiba Sadeq / Iraq Initiative Conference
  • A farmer prepares the land beneath palm trees. Photo: Tiba Sadeq / Iraq Initiative Conference
    A farmer prepares the land beneath palm trees. Photo: Tiba Sadeq / Iraq Initiative Conference
  • Second runner-up is The Face of the Marsh by Khalid Tawfeeq. The Beginning of the Journey, from the project, shows people travelling across the water in a traditional mashhoof. Photo: Khalid Tawfeeq / Iraq Initiative Conference
    Second runner-up is The Face of the Marsh by Khalid Tawfeeq. The Beginning of the Journey, from the project, shows people travelling across the water in a traditional mashhoof. Photo: Khalid Tawfeeq / Iraq Initiative Conference
  • In Memory of Water a marsh dweller stands firmly, holding his paddle as though holding on to a lifetime shaped by water. Photo: Khalid Tawfeeq / Iraq Initiative Conference
    In Memory of Water a marsh dweller stands firmly, holding his paddle as though holding on to a lifetime shaped by water. Photo: Khalid Tawfeeq / Iraq Initiative Conference
  • What Remains of the Water shows a buffalo resting in one of the last remaining pools that sustain life within the marshes. Photo: Khalid Tawfeeq / Iraq Initiative Conference
    What Remains of the Water shows a buffalo resting in one of the last remaining pools that sustain life within the marshes. Photo: Khalid Tawfeeq / Iraq Initiative Conference
  • Witness to Retreat shows an abandoned wooden boat resting on cracked earth after the water has receded. Photo: Khalid Tawfeeq / Iraq Initiative Conference
    Witness to Retreat shows an abandoned wooden boat resting on cracked earth after the water has receded. Photo: Khalid Tawfeeq / Iraq Initiative Conference
  • In When the Water Leaves, a mashhoof has lost the river that once carried it. Photo: Khalid Tawfeeq / Iraq Initiative Conference
    In When the Water Leaves, a mashhoof has lost the river that once carried it. Photo: Khalid Tawfeeq / Iraq Initiative Conference