Quebec 12/16/2009 11:48:59 PM
Baghdad Celebrates reopening of Alwiyah club
After years of chaos, unrest, bombing and killing the city of Bagdad is finally returning to normalcy.
After years of chaos, unrest, bombing and killing the city of Bagdad is finally returning to normalcy. The hope of economic and political stability in near future has prompted the Iraqis to come openly for some socializing. Recent reopening of Alwiyah club may work as another testimonial to the fact. Now when you pass by you can hear the lilting tunes of Arab pop songs or cheers from the bingo table. Soon the club is becoming a confluence of Christians, Shiites or Sunnites who love to enjoy a lovely evening in the club. There are young boys and girls who have been enjoying and perhaps participating in a bingo game for the first time in their life. The popularity of the game can be observed by watching the crowd flocked around the giant screen set up for the matches. You can participate in the game by paying 3 Euro. The membership of the club is around 600 Euro (one million dinars) and one needs to pay 60 and 90 Euros or 100,000 to 150,000 dinars as yearly subscription. The current membership base of the club is around 4000.
Alwiyah club was established in 1924 by British diplomat and explorer Gertrude Bell when the country was under British rule. Like any other typical British club it was beautifully landscaped with sprawling lawn, tennis courts, swimming pool, and bar. Iraqi intellectuals and famous personalities used to meet up on discussing issues pertaining to culture, politics, and general well being of the country.
As per the club rules only university graduates who can speak at least one foreign language were accepted as members. But with the unrest and political upheaval during the Saddam Hussein era these criteria were dropped by the management to acquire enough membership. Now, when the life is coming back to normalcy, the management again imposed the old rules. This will surely see an improvement in the quality of the club ambiance!
