How ideas travel: Polish influences on architecture and urbanism of contemporary Baghdad

On October 8, 2025, at the Faculty of Architecture, Warsaw University of Technology, and on October 9, 2025, at the Institute of Sociology, Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Prof. Ghada Al-Slik delivered a lecture titled “How Ideas Travel: Polish Influences on the Architecture and Urbanism of Contemporary Baghdad.” The lecture traced Polish influences on architecture and urbanism of contemporary Baghdad. The city was established as a capital of the Islamic empire in 762-766, yet lost its prominence after the 1258 Mongol invasion. Following centuries of foreign rule, the longest and most influential being the Ottoman, Baghdad became the capital of modern Iraq in 1921. While partial urban plans were developed for the city during the 1930s and 1940s, the first modern master plan was prepared in 1956 by the British firm Minoprio, Spencely and Macfarlane. The 1958 revolution brought new government and with it the new priorities for urban development. After winning an international competition, a Polish state company—Miastoprojekt-Krakow—was commissioned to prepare a master plan for the capital in the 1960s. The resultant 1967 master plan, and its more detailed version from 1973, was officially adopted and became the main planning document for Baghdad. While there were attempts to devise new master plans in the following decades, these efforts were hampered by wars and deteriorating situation in the country. In fact, the 1973 master plan prepared by Miastoprojekt-Krakow remains in force until this day. During past 50 years, the document had a significant influence on urban structure of the city, impacted other urban design plans and the professional field of urban planning. Focusing on the 1973 master plan, the lecture discussed the broader context of Polish influences on contemporary Baghdad—their articulations in architecture of the city and relations to the socio-political context—from the perspective of Iraqi experts. The lecture closed with a brief discussion of the proposed 2030 master plan for Baghdad in comparison to the earlier planning documents.

Link to full lecture on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FayJL42NfI0