Baiyaa

Al-Bayaa البياع
Neighborhood
Country	Iraq
Governorate	Baghdad Governorate
District	Al Rashid
City	Baghdad
Founded by	(Haj) Ali Al-Bayaa
Time zone	UTC+3 (Arabian Standard Time)

Al - Bayaa’ (Arabic: البياع) is a lower-middle-class neighborhood in the Al Rashid district in western Baghdad, Iraq, along the Baghdad Airport Road. Al-A'amel is to the west and Al-Saydiya to the south.

First known as Al-Bayaa City, it was named after and built by (Haj) Ali Al-Bayaa, a notable socialite, landowner, and famous Iraqi businessman who, in the 1950s, envisioned a place in Iraq that could spearhead its drive toward modernity and inspire future generations to come. Today, it is home to thousands of people.

Some of its most notable landmarks are:

• Street 20, which at the time of inception was renowned for its modern appearance and architecture. Today, it remains an active commercial hub.
• Grid Structured Layout: Unlike other neighborhoods in the region, Al-Bayaa was built to mimic a grid structure, similar to other modern cities like New York City. At the time, travelers were taken by this innovative street layout.
• Ali Al-Bayaa Mosque: Named after the city's founder, the mosque still serves as one of Iraq's most active places of worship. So many are usually in attendance that visitors spill over to the streets surrounding the mosque.
• The Blessed Keeper's Church: A Chaldean Catholic place of worship and congregation.

Al-Bayaa is a plural neighborhood, home to various ethnic sects of Iraqi society. Relative to other neighborhoods, it remained somewhat calm during the Iraq War, but many stores have closed, and many residents from Al-Bayaa fled the neighborhood in May 2007 as violence increased throughout the country.

References

• Hendawi, Hamza (10 May 2007). "Signs of sectarian conflict emerging in once calm oasis despite security crackdown in Baghdad". North County Times. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 2 August 2013.