Qishla of Baghdad

The Qishla was built in the nineteenth century as an Ottoman military barracks and administrative compound on the east bank of the Tigris, a long two-storey range of arcaded brick around a courtyard, with a clock tower at its centre given, by the usual account, by a British monarch and installed under the governor Midhat Pasha. It later served various government purposes and fell into neglect before restoration opened it as a public space. On Friday mornings the courtyard fills with people from the book market next door: poets read, musicians play, chess is set out on tables, and families sit under the trees, which is when the place is at its best. The old Ottoman quarter around it holds further buildings in varying repair.

What you actually see

• The clock tower - the nineteenth-century tower at the centre.
• Arcaded ranges - the brick barracks buildings around the courtyard.
• Friday gatherings - poetry, music and chess in the open court.
• The river frontage - the Tigris directly behind the compound.

When to go

Friday morning, when the courtyard fills and the book market runs next door; other days it is quiet and largely empty. November to March for comfortable weather.

Honest expectations

Outside Friday the compound is quiet and some buildings are closed. Restoration is partial and parts of the old quarter around it are derelict. Interpretation is minimal. Traffic on Rashid Street is heavy and parking difficult.

Nearby

Mutanabbi Street runs alongside; the Abbasid Palace is north along the river.