The Hands of Victory belong to the main sights in Baghdad. They are sometimes referred to as the Swords of Qādisīyah and consist of a pair of triumphal arches. Each arch is built by two hands holding swords which cross in the center.
The two arches are a memorial of the Iran-Iraq war. 1989, they were opened to the public and belong to Baghdad’s sights.
The Monument to the Unknown Soldier represents a traditional shield dropping from the dying grasp of an Iraqi warrior. The monument also houses an underground museum. The artificial hill is shaped like a low, truncated cone of 250 m diameter.
Red granite platforms of elliptical form lead to the dome and the cube. The flagpole is covered with Murano glass panels displaying the national flag colours. The cantilevered domes external surface is clad with copper, while its inner surface features a soffit finished with pyramidal modules alternating steel and copper. The cube beneath the shield is made of seven layers of metal, said to represent the seven levels of Heaven in the Islamic faith.
Inside the layers of metal are sheets of red acrylic, said to represent the blood of the slain Iraqi soldiers. The cube itself is connected to the underground museum by a long shaft with windows that allow light to shine in from above. Inside the museum, visitors can look up at the ceiling and see through the openings leading to the cube above.
The underground museum is not currently lighted, except for the light that shines in from the windows above. Visitors must bring their own flashlights to view the now-empty cases that once held numerous war relics.