Baghdad Planetarium

Baghdad Planetarium
General information
Status	Inactive
Type	Planetarium
Location	Karkh, Baghdad
Opened	July 31, 1979

The Baghdad Planetarium (Arabic: القبة الفلكية البغدادي) was a Planetarium based in al-Zawra'a Park in the al-Karkh District of Baghdad, Iraq.

History

The Planetarium was built and opened in 1979 under the leadership of former-Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and is considered one of the most important scientific and astronomical tributaries in Iraq, and a landmark of Baghdad in its design, location, and cognitive role. It was the first Planetarium in the Middle East and became a hotspot for school field trip visits to the planetarium, especially for specialists, and those interested in astronomy, stars, and horoscopes. The building included many astronomical devices and equipment before it was looted and stolen in the events of the first Gulf War in 1991 before it was rehabilitated and became active again. That was until the US Invasion of Iraq in 2003 where it was subjected to the largest vandalism and looting of its laser devices, cameras, and cooling devices. Moreover, the building and its equipment were burned, causing it to close its doors and it remains abandoned to this day. Nevertheless, a project to rehabilitate the Planetarium have been launched by the Ministry of Youth and Sports in 2011 although no update on the project has been given as of 2023. Despite that, many former visitors of the Planetarium expressed their hope that the dome will be rehabilitated to open its doors again to students and those interested in astronomy.

See also

• Zeiss-Planetarium Jena
• Astronomy in the medieval Islamic world
• Astrolabe
• Astronomical clock
• List of planetariums