 Adhamiyah residents look at the clothing being sold at the Adhamiyah Market Council Mall at the once-violent Omar Abdul Aziz street in the northern Baghdad District of Adhamiyah, Aug. 7, 2008. Photo by Sgt. Zachary Mott, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs. But now, one year later, residents of the Adhamiyah District welcomed a new shop to the area – one that will cater to less essential needs. The Adhamiyah Market Council Mall will help the fashion-conscious Iraqi stay hip. “It is literally like walking into the Gap,” said 1st Lt. Rosita Rodriguez, a team leader with Company C, 404th Civil Affairs Battalion, which is currently attached to 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad. While other projects in the area have focused on returning vital marketplaces to a functioning capacity in order to provide residents with food, power and other essential needs, this one illustrates just how far the area has come in such a short period of time. “The revitalization of this major street in Adhamiyah is a sign of growing and better times,” said Staff Sgt. Andrew Leiser, a team sergeant with Co. C, 404th CA Bn. As you walk into the shop, which is less than one-half mile from the famous Abu Hanifa Mosque, men’s clothes line one side and women’s on the other. During the opening festivities, the shop was filled with eager customers looking to see what the new shop had to offer. “When we went in there [recently], there were people purchasing stuff,” said Rodriguez, a native of Morristown, N.J. “General comments were that they were happy to have a new store in the area.” The project, which was begun prior to Rodriguez’ team’s arrival, was hand-picked by the Adhamiyah Market Council and spearheaded by Sheik Dulami, the shop’s owner. The council was given the liberty to choose how it wanted to begin revitalization efforts for the district. “What we did was minimal,” Rodriguez said. “Sheik Dulami did a lot of work on his end.” “This was the first step on a local/national level,” added Leiser, a native of Philadelphia, Pa. Much of that work was focused on the interior of the building and stocking the shelves. The $200,000 project went toward replacing blown out glass, repairing the broken concrete edifice of the building and repainting. “It’s a really nice store. There’s a café on the outside and sometimes there will be live music outside,” Rodriguez said. (By Sgt. Zach Mott, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division) |
