Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki’s Visit to the Great Wall: A Dialog Across Time and Space between the Wonders of the World

“The ancient Silk Road from China once passed through Iraq, and I hope that the Silk Road of the Iraq-China friendship will continue into the future.” With this beautiful vision, in July 2011, the then Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki visited China for the first time.

He decided to climb the Badaling Great Wall in Beijing on July 19, the last day of his visit.

It was raining that day, and the Great Wall meandered off into the hazy distance along the ridges in the rain – a scene not to be expected on a sunny day.

“We have heard of the Great Wall of China a long time ago. Today we are very happy to finally be able to ascend this great historical relic. We feel very happy because the Great Wall looks beautiful in the rain”.

Looking out from a high point on the wall, the Great Wall seemed to Maliki to stretch into the distance with no end in sight.

The Badaling section is the essence of the Great Wall, and is the most culturally rich, architecturally magnificent and scenically spectacular of all the thousands of other famous sections.

To Nouri al-Maliki, the Great Wall of China, like the Ancient Babylonian Hanging Gardens in Iraq, is a breathtaking crystallization of human wisdom and a world cultural miracle.

On the inscription book of the Great Wall, al-Maliki wrote: “The construction of the Great Wall embodies Chinese people’s strong will, ability, and intelligence. It’s one of the remaining seven wonders of the world, just like the Hanging Gardens in Iraq once was. The Great Wall is the only structure that can be seen from space. We feel that this visit is very meaningful.”

The Great Wall of China and the Iraqi Hanging Gardens are looking at each other across the sky, silently recounting the vicissitudes of history and the good wishes for peace and friendship throughout millenniums.