Danger of collapse: Agatha Christie’s historic Baghdad home in ruins – PHOTOS
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The historic house on the banks of the Tigris River in Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, where classic British crime writer Agatha Christie lived for many years, is rich in history but badly in need of repair.
The walls of the vintage house in the Karadat Maryam district of the capital bear now the warning: “Caution! Danger of collapse.” Despite the risk of collapse, the house, which holds Agatha Christie’s memories of Baghdad, continues to bear witness to the deep history of the region.
Agatha Christie’s 13-year hiatus in Iraq
Iraqi historian Adil Ardavi told Anadolu that Christie lived in Iraq for about 13 years. “Many of the artefacts her husband, an expert in historical artefacts, found here are now in museums. Agatha Christie was an ambitious woman who also travelled to neighbouring countries from Iraq,” Ardavi said.
Ardavi said that when Christie wanted to live in Baghdad, she chose a house on the banks of the Tigris that symbolised the architecture of old Baghdad, adding that he believes the view of the famed river from the house inspired her in her acclaimed writing.
He said that before the “Queen of Crime” lived there, it was rumoured that Ali, the brother of Iraq’s King Faisal I (who reigned in 1921-1933), lived in the house.
