Victory Arch

Victory Arch

قوس النصر (Swords of Qādisiyyah)
The Swords of Qādisiyyah, Baghdad
Designer	Khaled al-Rahal; Mohammed Ghani Hikmat
Material	Concrete, stone, stainless steel and bronze
Height	40 metres (130 ft)
Beginning date	1986
Completion date	1989
Opening date	8 August 1989
Dedicated to	Fallen Iraqi soldiers

The Victory Arch (Arabic: قوس النصر, romanized: Qaws an-Naṣr),^[1][2] officially known as the Swords of Qādisīyah, and popularly called the Hands of Victory or the Crossed Swords, are a pair of triumphal arches in central Baghdad, Iraq. Each arch consists of a pair of outstretched hands holding crossed swords. The two arches mark the two entrances to Grand Festivities Square and the parade ground constructed to commemorate the Iran–Iraq War, started and led by Iraq's then-president Saddam Hussein. The arches were opened to the public on 8 August 1989. It is one of Baghdad's visitor attractions and near to the Monument to the Unknown Soldier.