BABYLON by Ali Al Tajer

فوق العيشارا التي بنيت "The counterpart of Esharra which I have built over you

سامهد مكانا صالحا للبناء Below I have hardened the ground for a building site,

هناك ابني بيت ... I will build a house…

سيكون مفتوحا لاستقبالكم وبه تبيتون You will spend the night in it, it is there to receive all of you.

سادعو اسمه بابل I will call its name Babylon

وسينهض لبنائه امهر البنائين I shall build it with the skill of craftsmen

كذلك فلتكن بابل كما اشتهيتموها Construct Babylon, whose building you have requested

هذه بابل مكان سكناكم المفضل This is Babylon, the place that is your home!

فاصدحو وامرحو في ارجائها Make merry in its precincts, occupy its broad places.”

( ملحمة الخلق البابلية ) Verses selected from the fifth and sixth tablets of the Epic of the Babylonian Creation

Contemporary Iraqi painter Ali Al-Tajer presents a selection of paintings inspired by the Epic of The Creation of Babylon. His female-centric scenes are characterised by vibrant colours that reveal traditional elements and customs from his homeland. Iraqi flowers, particularly roses, recur delightfully in his works.