Rifat Chadirji

Rifat Chadirji was an Iraqi architect, photographer, author and activist. He was often referred to as the father of modern Iraqi architecture, having designed more than 100 buildings across the nation. He was born in Baghdad in 1926 into an influential family. His father, Kamil Chadirji, played a central role in Iraq's political life as the founder and then president of the National Democratic Party. Chadirji trained as an architect at the University of Liverpool and the University of London. He returned to Baghdad in 1952 and began working on what he called his "architectural experiments". He aimed to create an architecture that was regional in character yet modern and part of the international avant-garde style. He called this approach international regionalism. He was influenced by the works of Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn, as well as the traditional Iraqi architecture. Some of his most notable buildings include the Monument to the Unknown Soldier, the Tobacco Monopoly Headquarters, the Central Post Office and the Freedom Monument in Tahrir Square. He also documented the Iraqi life and culture through his photography, and published many books and articles on Mesopotamian language and history. He was awarded the Aga Khan Chairman Award in 1986 and the Tamayouz Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. He also received honorary fellowships from the Royal Institute of British Architects and the American Institute of Architects. He left Iraq in 1983 and settled in London, where he continued his academic and artistic work. He died on 10 April 2020 in London, after contracting the coronavirus. He was 93 years old. He is considered one of the pioneers of Iraqi architecture and one of the first Middle Eastern architects.