Rifat Chadirji: The father of modern Iraqi architecture dies at 93 due to COVID-19.
Rifat Chadirji, known as the father of modern Iraqi architecture, died late Friday in the United Kingdom after contracting the novel coronavirus, friends and Iraqi officials have said.
The 93-year-old architect and photographer is credited with designing some of Iraq’s most well-known structures, including the iconic “Freedom Monument” in the now protest hub of Baghdad’s Tahrir Square its name.
“He was a giant of 20th century Iraq,” said Caecilia Pieri, a scholar focusing on Baghdad’s modern architecture who knew Chadirji well.
Top Iraqi officials including President Barham Saleh and caretaker premier Adel Abdel Mahdi mourned him on Saturday.
“With the death of Rifat Chadirji, architecture in Iraq and the world has lost its modern lung,” Saleh wrote.
(Source: Times of India)
