Rifat Chadirji (, also Romanized Rifa'at Al Chaderchi; 6 December 1926 – 10 April 2020) was an Iraqi architect. He was often referred to as the father of modern Iraqi architecture, having designed more than 100 buildings across the nation.
Early life Chadirji was born in Baghdad in 1926 into an influential family. His father, Kamil Chadirji, played a central role in Iraq's political life as the founder in 1946 and then president of the National Democratic Party."The Kamil and Rifat Chadirji Photographic Archive comes to the Aga Khan Documentation Center," MIT Library, Online: His family was of Iraqi Turkmen origin.
Chadirji trained as an architect."The Kamil and Rifat Chadirji Photographic Archive comes to the Aga Khan Documentation Center," MIT Library, Online: In 1952, after completing his graduate training, he returned to Baghdad and began working on what he called his "architectural experiments."Pieri, C., " Modernity and its Posts in constructing an Arab capital: Baghdad's Urban Space and Architecture, Context and Questions," Middle East Studies Association Bulletin, The Middle East Studies Association, 2009, Vol. 42, No. 1-2, pp 32-39 Rifat Chadirji's architecture is inspired by the characteristics of regional Iraqi architecture, and the time-tested intelligence inherent in it, but at the same time, he wanted to reconcile tradition with contemporary social needs.Sennott, R.S. (ed), Encyclopedia of 20th-Century Architecture, Taylor & Francis, 2004, p. 435 In an interview, Chadirji explained his philosophy:
In the context of architecture, Chadirji called this approach international regionalism.Pieri, C., "Baghdad 1921–1958. Reflections on History as a "strategy of vigilance"," Mona Deeb, World Congress for Middle-Eastern Studies, Jun 2005, Amman, Jordan, Al-Nashra, vol. 8, no 1-2, pp.69-93, 2006; Al-Khalil, S. and Makiya, K., The Monument: Art, Vulgarity, and Responsibility in Iraq, University of California Press, 1991, p. 80; Al-Khalil, S. and Makiya, K., The Monument: Art, Vulgarity, and Responsibility in Iraq, University of California Press, 1991, pp 80-81 Chadirji's approach was entirely consistent with the objectives of the Modern Baghdad Group, founded in 1951, of which he was an early member. This art group sought to combine ancient Iraqi heritage with modern art and architecture, to develop an Iraqi aesthetic that was not only unique to Iraq but also influenced the development of a pan-Arab visual language.
Career Chadirji's early works were firmly grounded in the discourse being conducted by members of the Baghdad Modern Art Group,Bernhardsson, M.T., "Visions of the Past: Modernizing the Past in 1950s Baghdad," in Sandy Isenstadt and Kishwar Rizvi, Modernism and the Middle East: Architecture and Politics in the Twentieth Century, University of Washington Press, 2008, pp 91-92 including sculptors Jawad Saleem and Mohammed Ghani Hikmat, and artist-intellectual, Shakir Hassan Al Said. His designs relied on abstracting the concepts and elements of traditional buildings and reconstructing them in contemporary forms.Elsheshtawy, T., Planning Middle Eastern Cities: An Urban Kaleidoscope,Routledge, 2004, p. 72 However, Chadirji's critics have pointed out that although Chadirji was sympathetic to the group's aims, he was essentially a modernist at heart.Al-Khalil, S. and Makiya, K., The Monument: Art, Vulgarity, and Responsibility in Iraq, University of California Press, 1991, p. 95; It may be worth noting that one of the authors of this work, K. Makiya was the son of prominent Iraqi architect, Mohammed Makiya, of whom Chadirji had been highly critical.
Chadirji's early works were primarily reconstructions of old buildings and residential homes. The first house design of Chadirji's was for Baher Faik, a former statesman and ambassador of Iraq during the 50s. In 1959, he was commissioned to construct a major public monument, The Monument to the Unknown Soldier, which was later destroyed by Saddam Hussein's Ba'athist government, and replaced with a statue of Hussein himself. Chadirji's monument, centrally located in Baghdad's Ferdous Square, referenced Iraq's tradition; the monument evoked the parabolic arch from the Sassanid Palace, Ctesiphon. Described as a simple, symbolic, modernist structure,King, E.A. and Levin, G., Ethics and the Visual Arts, Skyhorse Publishing, 2010, p. 105 sketches of the design concept found at the Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad, reveal the inspiration for the design which represents a mother bending over to pick up her martyred child.Younis, A., "Monuments (by) Architects (for) Governments," Di'van, December 2016, pp 78-87; "Before Monument to the Unknown Soldier (1980-) there was the Unknown Soldier Monument (1961–1982)," Isqeena Magazine, 25 August 2013, Online:
Chadirji would continue to use ancient Iraqi motifs in his building designs.Bernhardsson, M.T., "Visions of the Past: Modernizing the Past in 1950s Baghdad," in Sandy Isenstadt and Kishwar Rizvi, Modernism and the Middle East: Architecture and Politics in the Twentieth Century, University of Washington Press, 2008, p.92 His works, such as the Hussain Jamil Residence (1953), Tobacco Warehouse (1965), the Rafiq Residence (1965) and the Central Post Office (1975), are informed by Iraqi practices of temperature control – natural ventilation, courtyards, screen walls and reflected light. He also employed the architectural language of arches and monolithic piers that remind visitors of ancient Iraqi architectural history. Although, his designs often used vernacular elements, he often abstracted them and incorporated them in new forms. At times, he relied on traditional exteriors, but designed European interiors.Elsheshtawy, Y., Planning Middle Eastern Cities: An Urban Kaleidoscope, Routledge, 2004, pp 72-74
In 1978, Chadirji was jailed for life for unfounded charges during the Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr presidency. However, after serving 20 months in the Abu Ghraib prison, he was released when Saddam Hussein assumed power. Hussein wanted Iraq's best architect to oversee the preparations for an international conference to be held in Baghdad in 1983 and to assist with general plans to give Baghdad a facelift. Chadirji was offered the choice to accept the commission or stay in prison. He became Hussein's architectural consultant for Baghdad City Planning, for the period, 1982–1983.Elsheshtawy, T., Planning Middle Eastern Cities: An Urban Kaleidoscope,Routledge, 2004, p. 72; Davis, E., Memories of State: Politics, History, and Collective Identity in Modern Iraq, p. 305 While imprisoned, he wrote a book on architecture, Al Ukhaidir and the Crystal Palace, using materials that his wife had smuggled into Abu Ghraib.Younis, A., "Monuments (by) Architects (for) Governments," Di'van, December 2016, p. 86 The book has been described as a "seminal work" on the subject of Iraq's architecture.Younis, A., "Unravelling Baghdad: Ala Younis' new installation Plan (fem.) for a Greater Baghdad at the Delfina Foundation," Ruya Foundation, March 2018 Online:; Younis, A., "Monuments (by) Architects (for) Governments," Di'van, December 2016, p. 86; "The Arab Center for Architecture (ACA): Interview with George Arbid," Middle East Digest, 29 September 2015 Online:
In the 1980s, Chadirji became Councillor to the Mayor, a role that found him overseeing all the reconstruction projects in Baghdad.Al-Khalil, S. and Makiya, K., The Monument: Art, Vulgarity, and Responsibility in Iraq, University of California Press, 1991, p. 95 He left Iraq in 1983 to take up an academic position at Harvard University. Some years later, on his return to Baghdad, he was saddened by the deterioration in the city. He and his wife decided to leave Iraq permanently, and they settled in London, where he continued to live.
Along with his father, Chadirji photographically documented much of Baghdad and the larger region of Iraq and Syria. They feared the regional architecture and monuments would be lost to new development associated with the oil boom. In 1995, he published a book of his father's precious photographs.Chadirji, R., The Photographs of Kamil Chadirji: Social Life in the Middle East, 1920–1940, London, I.B. Tauris, 1995 His father's position as a politician gave him access to many people and places that may have been difficult for other photographers.
In an interview with Ricardo Karam, Chadirji talked about his atheism; after studying philosophy with his wife, Balqees Sharara, he came to the understanding that religions originated from magic. He also said that he respected all religions, and asked after his death that prayers not be offered for him, and that his body be cremated.
Work Although Chadirji designed many residences, he is most noted for his public works, including buildings and monuments. His Monument to the Unknown Soldier (1959), described as a simple, symbolic, modernist structure, was removed from al-Fardous Square to make way for a statue of Saddam Hussein in the early 1980s. The replacement statue was infamously toppled on 9 April 2003 in full view of the world, as global media filmed and photographed the destruction.
Site Location Country Central Post Office (1975)Elsheshtawy, Y. (ed.), Planning Middle Eastern Cities: An Urban Kaleidoscope, Routledge, 2004, p. 72 Baghdad Iraq Hamood Villa (1972)Frampton, K. and Khan, H-U. (eds), World Architecture 1900–2000: The Middle East, Vol. 5, Armenian Research Center, 2000, [World Architecture Series], p. xxx Baghdad Iraq National Insurance Company Mosul Iraq Offices and Tobacco Warehouses (1965) Baghdad IraqThe Monument to the Unknown Soldier (erected 1959: replaced 1983) BaghdadIraqRafiq Residence (1965)Hagan, S., Taking Shape: A New Contract Between Architecture and Nature, Routledge, 2007, p. 124 BaghdadIraq
Associated publications Chadirji's publications are primarily in Arabic and include: al-Ukhaidir and the Crystal Palace (1991) A Dialogue on the Structure of Art and Architecture (1995).http://www.csbe.org/avisors2.htm , The Center for the Study of the Built Environment (CSBE) Regenerative approaches to mosque design-competition to State Mosque, Baghdad. In Mimar 1984,11 page 44-63 . Concepts & Influences: Towards a Regionalized International Architecture, 1987.ISBN no. 0-7103-0180-4. Internationalised Tradition in Architecture, 1988. ISBN no. 1-85035-146-5. Author Title Year Chadirji, Rifat Introduction to Urban Design and Architecture in Lebanon 2004 Chadirji, Rifat Medina Interviews Architect 1999 Chadirji, Rifat The Photographs of Kamil Chadirji 1995 Khan, Hasan-Uddin Regional Modernism: Rifat Chadirji's Portfolio of Etchings 1984 Chadirji, Rifat Concepts and Influences:Towards a Regional International Architecture, 1952–1978 1986
Awards 1964: Bronze Medal, Barcelona Furniture DesignSennott, R.S., Encyclopedia of 20th-Century Architecture, Taylor & Francis, 2004, p. 438 1986: Chairman's Award of the Aga Khan Award for ArchitectureSennott, R.S., Encyclopedia of 20th-Century Architecture, Taylor & Francis, 2004, p. 46 2008: Sheikh Zayed' Book Award, 2008Zayed Award, List of Recipients Online: 2015: Honorary PhD from Coventry UniversityCoventry University, List of Honorary Graduates, Online: 2015: Lifetime Achievement Award from Tamayouz Excellence Award
Legacy In 2017, the Rifat Chadirji Prize was created to recognise local architects who are involved in rebuilding parts of Iraq that had been destroyed. The prize is awarded under the umbrella of the Tamayouz Award for Excellence.Business Council of Iraq, "The Rifat Chadirji Prize, 2017: Rebuilding Iraq's Liberated Areas," Iraqi Business Council, 2017 Online:
Personal life In 1954, he married Balkis ShaharaThe international who's who 1991–92, Europa Publications Limited, 1991, p. 277; The International Who's who 2000, 63rd edition, Europa Publications, 1999, p. 271. He retired from practice in 1982 and thereafter devoted his time to research and writing.