The ruthless Baghdad sun, a photo from Baghdad, North

Photographer's Note

We only spent a couple of days in Baghdad after our arrival in Iraq in July 1970. It wasn't a very interesting city and the oppressive heat made normal sightseeing rather difficult. We walked until we virtually collapsed and treated ourselves to several taxi rides.

When I took this sunset photo from one of the bridges crossing the Tigris the temperature may have fallen to just about 42 蚓.

Our visit coincided with the second anniversary of the coup that brought the Baath Party to power (lasting until 2003). We learned that Iraq the same day had been declared a "People's Republic". For the time being a relatively anonymous Saddam Hussein served as Vice President. I had never heard of him.

I noted in my diary that remarkably many soldiers were seen in the streets. Trucks were cruising through the city carrying loads of young men waving flags, clenching their fists and shouting slogans in praise of the "revolution". In the evening, while we were having dinner in the rooftop restaurant of our (quite modest) hotel near the river, we saw fireworks outside the President's palace and illuminated boats where twinkling lamps formed figures of workers, soldiers and heavy machinery such as excavators.

By now the temperature was only about 38 蚓.

This is a scan from an Agfacolor CT18 slide and it probably won't look any better in a new tab. The lens flare doesn't really bother me.

pajaran, Fis2, NickVu, pierrefonds, jhm, ikeharel, ktanska, PaulVDV, mcmtanyel, COSTANTINO, jemaflor, ChrisJ, Royaldevon, adramad, aliabazari has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Silvio1953 (220697) 2022-01-25 0:36

Ciao Gert, my today neighbour, fascinating sunset with beautiful silhouettes, wonderful warm colors and fantastic light, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

pajaran (114995) 2022-01-25 0:41

Pozdsrav.

Lep pogled i trenutak, interesantan i dobar tekst ...
Lepa reka i siluete arhitekture, dobro pokazano sa lepim bojama, kontrastom, perspektivom i uhvacenim trenutkom.
Dobar rad, lepa fotografija.
Lep refleks na vodi i zalazak sunca.
Lep odlazak dana.

Zelim vam lep i uspesan dan, sve najbolje.
Paja

Fis2 (169821) 2022-01-25 0:48

Witaj Gert!
A very nice composition and framing.
Superb colors and light.
Very impressive picture!
Well done.
Good morning.
Krzysztof

pierrefonds (113656) 2022-01-25 4:36

Hi Gert,

THe length of the river is giving depth to the composition. The point of view is showing the details of the buildings and of the bridge. The sunset is giving nice colors to the sky and the water. Have a nice day.

Pierre

jhm (211734) 2022-01-25 5:54

Hello Gert,

The sun was still a little bit to strong dor a perfect picture.
But you did very well and got a lovely contrast about the river.
Lovely depth and perspective picture.
Sharp and clear to look at.
An excellent picture, with pleasant colours
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards,
John

ikeharel (112497) 2022-01-25 6:18

Hello Gert,
You were standing in the very same spot CNN reporters came on air when the !st "Desert Storm" operation begun. I clearly recognize this place, maybe very similar to what I saw - though never been there...
Must be very hot that summer day ruthless it was.
Good afternoon,
Ike

jmdias (114340) 2022-01-25 9:26

gert

photos from this iconic city are rare. a nice sunset view with reflections and few urban elements in evidence.
here we are around 35 and some cities around (at west) are breaking temperature records.

take care

jorge

ktanska (44492) 2022-01-25 10:19

Hej Gert,
July is obviously totally wrong month to visit Baghdad or any place near. The river is much wider than what I expected. Visual impact is quite strong on this direct sunlight shot. Gradient from white sun towards cooler tones is quite smooth, I don't see any posterization effect.
Kari

Tue (91648) 2022-01-25 10:54

Hej Gert,
S� meget har sket i denne her by siden du tog dette billede. Floden og byen ser s� fredfyldt ud her under den varme solnedgang. Hvordan mon billedet se ud hvis man tog det igen i dag?
Lars

PaulVDV (62804) 2022-01-25 11:38

Hello Gert,
Someone I met a long time ago told me with great regret that Baghdad was a modern city. You don't think it's interesting either.
42蚓 at sunset is quite warm but that was in 1970, a time when the results of global warming were not yet so clearly felt.
It is likely that it has become warmer in July in later years. Temperatures of over 40蚓 are now experienced during the summer in many southern European countries. I also remember it from Andalusia.
Best regards, Paul

emka (157280) 2022-01-25 18:50

Hello Gert, usually, I carefully choose the time of the travel - out of season when there are few tourists and it is not hot. And I remember only two places really hot, with the temperature exceeding 40 degrees. Nice view of the river Tigris at sunset. It would look like the Vistula but when we see it in the large format, we see some minarets. Fantastic light and clear sky without any noise. Strange that you regard Baghdad as not an interesting city. Baghdad sounds for me fascinating but I have no idea what one can see there.

Best regrads MAlgo

mcmtanyel (67731) 2022-01-25 19:34

Hello Gert,
My, oh my! You were there at a historic moment. It sounds like Saddam came to power more peacefully (if you can call it that) than his final demise.
Regards,
MT

ifege (47043) 2022-01-25 19:51

Hi Gert
The temperatures sound like what much of inland Australia gets.
Despite the heat or possibly helped by it there is a great glow in the air for this good sunset photo.
cheers
Ian

COSTANTINO (115605) 2022-01-25 22:27

Hello dear Gert and have a nice day
lovely presentation in dynamic
orange color tones
fantastic view for our eyes
your photo changed my mood
today...I would like to be
in this environment
regards
cOSTANTINO

jemaflor (146360) 2022-01-25 23:20

Hi Gert,
Nice warm light and so beautiful water reflections, photogenic POV well captured, interesting, tfs.

ChrisJ (171302) 2022-01-26 0:06

Hi Gert

Cairo was around 45c when I arrived in late May. I spent quite a bit of time in Starbucks drinking iced coffee, but obviously that luxury wasn't available here in Baghdad. A superb sunset with good framing and silhouettes. Tfs!

Royaldevon (85640) 2022-01-26 6:09

Hello Gert,

Your notes explain how hot it was in Damascus, long before the effects of global warming. I am positive, I would not be able to endure such heat!
Did you feel threatened or unsafe by the many young soldiers cruising through the streets? I suppose it wasn't too scary as long as the rest of the inhabitants were in favour of what they were supporting.

This is a beautiful shot, with the sky so warm and that sun such a vivid focal point, casting a golden trail across the water.
The silhouetted buildings make an interesting separation line. I think a tad taken off the sky would move the bridge away from the centre and be closer to a thirds composition.

My warm regards,
Bev :-)

adramad (72590) 2022-01-26 12:59

Hi Gert.
A splendid sunset with the view of this splendid river, wide and with a lot of flow, beautiful wake of the sun in the water, in the backlights of the banks the city does not show anything outstanding.
In this nice image, the sharpness, exposure, colors and POV are good.
Photo very well done. I like it
Enjoy a good day.
Very best regards.
Luis.

aliabazari (21357) 2022-01-26 20:49

Hello Gert
Beautiful view of the sunset. Good combination with excellent exposure. Under Saddam's photography, photography was banned in Iraq.
You were lucky to be there before Saddam Hussein came to power.

GyurMaster (24672) 2022-01-31 12:59

Dear Gert,

Some 50 years ago that heat was normal in the Middle-East. Nowadays it is normal to have some 37-38 Celsius degrees on a Summer day in Middle-East Europe. Nevertheless, is quite a beautiful city-view with beautiful colours.

Best Wishes,
Gy.

kasianowak (17672) 2022-02-09 8:20

You managed to capture the heat with great skill. The sun looks like it's melting and pouring onto the metallic-looking water. I guess 38-42 was relatively cool after a day in Baghdad in July. ;-)
History is such a fascinating subject. When I read your note I couldn't stop wondering what if... where would Iraq be now if that coup didn't happen? Well, most probably there would have been a coup of a different kind instead...

worldcitizen (15960) 2022-02-12 12:51

Hello Gert,
It's always interesting to see photos from Iraq, and the setting sun adds vibrancy to the scene. I decided to play around with your photo a bit, and I made a WS with some small changes. Take care!

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