- Title: IRAQ: PANORAMA OF ANCIENT BATTLE PROVIDES PARALLELS WITH TODAY'S GOLF WAR.
- Date: 29th October 1984
- Summary: 1. GV EXTERIOR Tower which contains Panoram 0.04 2. GV PAN Arab horsemen riding into battle. 0.17 3. CUs Arab warriors. (3 SHOTS) 0.23 4. SV Dead persians lying in sand. (2 SHOTS) 0.27 5. GV & SV PAN Arabs and Persian s fight. (2 SHOTS) 0.34 6. GV PAN y SVs Arab archers (in white) blinding elephants. (3 SHOTS) 0.47 7. SV Arab and Persian in hand to hand combat. 0.50 8. SV TILT DOWN Persian flag. 0.53 9. SV PAN FROM Battle with many dead on ground TO three dimensional tent. 1.01 10. SVs Real grass and arrow shown in front of painted warriors. (2 SHOTS) 1.10 11. GV PAN Viewers on central balcony, children looking at Panorama. (3 SHOTS) 1.27 12. GV Al-Qadissiya fort used by Arabs as headquarters. 1.31 13. CU PULL BACK TO GV Real straw shields lying in front of Panorama. (4 SHOTS) 1.41 14. SV People on balcony looking at painting. 1.50 InitialsMO'D/JRS Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 13th November 1984 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: AL-MADA'IN NEAR BAGHDAD, IRAQ
- Country: Iraq
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVAC1KPK7NJ45WZ2EIGRZYHRQY22
- Story Text: AL-MADA'IN NEAR BAGHDAD, IRAQ
The conflict between Iran and Iraq in the Gulf has raged for four years but one Iraqi national monument seems to suggest that the present war is only the most recent manifestation of centuries old differences. The Panorama at Al-Mada'in depicts the Battle of Al-Qadissiya in 637 A.D. The impact of the 110 metre (130 feet) long mural is enhanced by lighting effects and realistic recreation of the sound of the furious battle. The battle was fought between Arab and Persian antagonists and the victory of the Arabs signalled the liberation of Iraq from the Persians. The visitor to the Panorama is enmeshed in the clamour and horror of battle as white-robed Arabs confront their Persian foes; sand swirls, arrows fly, elephants charge and swords are wielded in hand to hand combat. The weapons and customs of battle may have changed but parallels with the present conflict are easy to make and constantly appear in the Iraqi news media. Religion and territory were the centre of the battle of Al-Qadissiya as they are today. The Gulf war is frequently referred to as President Saddam Hussein's Al-Q-Qadissiya and the war is seen in terms of Arab-Persian confrontation. The centre was built in 1968 as a celebration of past glory and national history and the Panorama is certainly a remarkable cultural achievement whose creation employed thirty two artists from several countries. But is seems impossible now to view it in purely artistic terms. Even the tourist literature produced by the Ministry of Culture and Information stresses the relevance of the ancient battle to the present conflict urging the visitor to "strenuously search for the identical images of the first Qadissiya and the contemporary one.
<strong>Source: REUTERS - LOUIS BREYTENBACH</strong> - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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