A waitress walks past Iraqi customers in a Baghdad hotel. During Baghdad’s darkest days, often the only light at night was that of gunfire and mortar rounds. But the Iraqi capital now looks a world apart, with packed restaurants and parks. — AFP

BAGHDAD — During Baghdad’s darkest days, often the only light at night was that of gunfire and mortar rounds. But the Iraqi capital now looks a world apart, with packed restaurants, parks and even the odd nightclub.



Though still a long way from its once-lofty status as one of the region’s most dynamic nightspots, and with the social scene out of reach for many Baghdadis, the options after sunset offer a rare bright spot for a violence-wracked country.



“Baghdad is beautiful at night,” said Dhia Al-Din Al-Maliki, an investor in a hotel in central Baghdad. “It’s always beautiful, but at night, you have privacy.”



Decimated by the violent aftermath of the 2003 invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein, Baghdad’s nightlife had already been hit by a decade of crushing UN sanctions imposed on Iraq for its 1990 invasion of Kuwait. But now several families and groups of friends often gather at Abu Nawas restaurants until late into the night, restricted only by Baghdad’s overnight curfew. At the eateries, most of which do not serve alcohol, customers pick their fish from a small pond, and it is grilled for them, costing around 20,000 Iraqi dinars ($17) a kg at the capital’s better restaurants.



Outside, bumper-to-bumper traffic moves at a snail’s pace as others look for a bite either on Abu Nawas or in nearby Karrada, Baghdad’s main commercial district.



“Day by day, security is improving, so we can go out at night,” said 28-year-old Ammar Sabah. “I hope the situation here becomes like in other countries, with nightclubs, parks and parties for young people.”



A full-blown sectarian war in 2006-07 that cost tens of thousands of lives left the capital’s residents fearful of what would happen if they ventured out, especially at night. From militias masquerading as security forces and manning fake checkpoints, to a constant stream of roadside bombs, vehicles packed with explosives and suicide attacks, many of Baghdad’s residents rarely chose to leave home after dark.



But as violence has declined nationwide over the past five years, albeit with attacks still a regular feature of life in the capital, Iraqis have increasingly sought to restore some normality to daily life.



Security forces have gradually eased the overnight curfew, restaurants have opened their doors and families have stayed out later and later. — AFP