Artwork towering over Arab Summit aims to show beauty of Iraq's past and present

The work, created by Ahmad Hussein El Zaim, has been hanging in the presidential palace in Baghdad for years

Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid and Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani pose for a family photo with Arab leaders during the 34th Arab League Summit in Baghdad. Reuters

Regional leaders gathered in Baghdad on Saturday to attend the annual Arab League Summit. They commemorated the union with a group image that joins the ranks of the yearly photos.

However, towering above this year’s portrait is a piece of art that consolidates the choice to host the summit in Iraq for the first time in more than a decade.

Holding the annual summit in Baghdad has been seen as a symbolic moment for the country, which is still struggling to emerge from decades of war, instability and diplomatic isolation.

But the striking piece of art hanging in the presidential palace, under which discussions and addresses on regional matters were held, aims to show that beauty can be created out of Iraq's past, said artist Ahmad Hussein El Zaim.

Titled ‘Sahil El Hadarat’, which roughly translates into ‘The Neighing of Civilisations’, the mural combines symbolisms of the Sumerian, Assyrian, Akkadian, and Babylonian civilisations, all of which shaped ancient Mesopotamia.

The white horse in the centre, which ties all the other horses representing the different eras together, represents Iraq today: a melting pot of civilisations, explained the artist.

All these leaders come from a different background, a different civilisation, and they meet here under the painting portraying Iraq as the cradle of cultures and civilisations

Ahmad Hussein El Zaim,
Iraqi artist

The bricks in the background of the painting were inspired by Ishtar Gate, the eighth gate to the inner city of Babylon and a national symbol of modern Iraq, Mr El Zaim told The National.

The piece was created using different raw materials, including leather and wood. The abstract artist’s signature style involves leather burning to create rustic hues and an earthy texture. He then adds patchwork and sharp geometric lines to create a sense of movement in the image.

The abstract artist first created the artwork in 2022, when it was selected to permanently hang in Baghdad’s presidential palace.

Filled with pride

The artwork has since witnessed visits and talks with regional and international officials, including attendees of the Arab Summit this year, which had Gaza at the top of its agenda.

Attendees included Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, UAE Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, Sheikh Tamim, Emir of Qatar, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who was invited as a guest of honour.

“It really fills my heart with pride to see my work displayed on a stage like that,” said Mr El Zaim. “That artwork has been hanging in the palace for several years now, but every time I see a new picture of it with global leaders, I’m filled with pride again. I have God to thank for that.”

French President Emmanuel Macron meets with former Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi

Other officials who have been photographed under the artwork include French President Emmanuel Macron and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“All these leaders come from a different background, a different civilisation, and they meet here under the painting portraying Iraq as the cradle of cultures and civilisations," the artist said.