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.