Between Iraq and a hard place

Michael Otterman

The images, taken in January 2008, depict Iraqi refugees in Sayda Zainab, a Damascus enclave that holds around 50,000 Iraqis. Every morning over a dozen buses in Sayda Zainab return Iraqis to the country they once called home. Other Iraqis beg for spare change while homeless children, prowling street cats, motorbikes, pushcarts, trucks, buses and old taxis vie for space on the crowded laneways.

Close-up photograph of strings of coloured prayer beads hanging on a wooden rack.

Fig 1. Prayer beads for sale in one of the busy stalls in Sayda Zainab.

Photograph of two women and a child walking along a busy street. Another two women walk by in the background, and a bus passes on the street.

Fig 2. Iraqi family walks through the streets of Sayda Zainab.

Photograph of a young boy in a red shirt, holding a tin can and standing in front of a wire fence.

Fig 3. Young boy pauses while playing with friends in an empty lot in Sayda Zainab.

Close-up photograph of a woman looking into the distance.

Fig 4. Woman in front of the Shrine of Sayda Zainab – believed to contain the remains of the Prophet Mohammed’s granddaughter.

Photograph of a young boy standing in a bus depot. He wears blue jeans and a navy jacket, and holds his hand up to cup his mouth.

Fig 5. Young boy shouts ‘goodbye’ to a bus departing to Baghdad from the Sayda Zainab bus depot.

Photograph of a blue wallet containing a picture of a young boy in a red and white striped shirt.

Fig 6. An Iraqi Kurd in Sayda Zainab displays the photograph of his kidnapped son.

Photograph of a young girl wearing a purple sweater and blue jeans. An older girl stands behind her, and the hands and torso of three other adults are visible at the edges of the photograph.

Fig 7. An Iraqi family sees off family members returning to Baghdad from Sayda Zainab.

Photograph of a man's hands, holding a large pile of passports and a blue pen. Bus seats are visible in the background.

Fig 8. Bus driver collects passports before departure to Baghdad. A one-way ticket from Sayda Zainab costs roughly AU$10.

Photograph of a man in a dark blue jacket, standing in front of a black and green bus.

Fig 9. Owner and driver of the Gold Eagle stands proudly in front of his bus prior to departure to Baghdad.