Ramadi was the site of some of the fiercest fighting against U.S. troops during the Iraq war, then came a devastating fight with ISIS. Now, it’s emerging as one of Iraq’s most stable cities.
Ramadi, the provincial capital of Anbar, has seen waves of warfare since the US occupation Published: July 11, 2021 11:36 NYT The Rose Plaza Hotel in Ramadi, the capital of Iraq s Anbar province. Ramadi is witnessing an investment boom. Image Credit: AFP
Ramadi: On the banks of the Euphrates River, the iron beams and bricks are going up for a 20-story luxury hotel with swimming pools, a spa, and restaurants jutting out into the blue-green waters at the edge of the Iraqi city of Ramadi.
While a five-star hotel is nothing unusual in many places, this is the first one being built in decades in battle-scarred Anbar province - part of a post-ISIS investment boom in an area that is now, surprisingly, one of the most stable in the country.
Ramadi, Iraq – It is one of Iraq’s smallest provincial capitals, but Ramadi could soon boast the largest shopping mall in the country.
The development, which will span 125,000 square metres (1.4 million square feet) once complete, is one of dozens of investment projects that have transformed this part of Anbar province since the ISIL (ISIS) armed group was defeated here in 2016.
“These projects are needed in this province, and according to our feasibility study, they will be successful,” said Maher al-Fahdawi, an engineer at Al Qasas, the investment company building the mall. “We believe Anbar has a good future.”
Unlike remote areas close to Anbar’s border with Syria, which were not freed from ISIL until late 2017, few overt signs remain of the destruction the war wreaked on Ramadi and nearby Fallujah.