• Iraqi Shi’ite youths play soccer in Sadr City.
    Iraqi Shi’ite youths play soccer in Sadr City.
  • Iraqi Shi’ite girls attend classes at an Islamic school in Sadr City.
    Iraqi Shi’ite girls attend classes at an Islamic school in Sadr City.
  • A general view of Firdos Square, one of the main squares of Sadr City in Baghdad.
    A general view of Firdos Square, one of the main squares of Sadr City in Baghdad.
  • Iraqi Shi’ite men relax in Sadr City.
    Iraqi Shi’ite men relax in Sadr City.
  • Iraqi Shi’ite students play at an Islamic school in Sadr City.
    Iraqi Shi’ite students play at an Islamic school in Sadr City.
  • An Iraqi Shi’ite man, center, uses his phone as he sits at an outdoor cafe in Sadr City.
    An Iraqi Shi’ite man, center, uses his phone as he sits at an outdoor cafe in Sadr City.
  • Iraqi Shi’ite youths play at a swimming pool in Sadr City.
    Iraqi Shi’ite youths play at a swimming pool in Sadr City.
  • An Iraqi Shi’ite man sells traditional Iraqi Masgouf fish in Sadr City.
    An Iraqi Shi’ite man sells traditional Iraqi Masgouf fish in Sadr City.
  • A bicycle shop is pictured in Sadr City in Baghdad.
    A bicycle shop is pictured in Sadr City in Baghdad.
  • Iraqi Shi’ite women walk past a big poster of Imam Hussein, right, and Imam Abbas, left, in Sadr City.
    Iraqi Shi’ite women walk past a big poster of Imam Hussein, right, and Imam Abbas, left, in Sadr City.
  • An Iraqi Shi’ite bodybuilder poses for a picture at a fitness centre in Sadr City.
    An Iraqi Shi’ite bodybuilder poses for a picture at a fitness centre in Sadr City.
  • Iraqi Shi’ite boys, who play soccer, pose for a picture in Sadr City.
    Iraqi Shi’ite boys, who play soccer, pose for a picture in Sadr City.
  • Iraqi youths have lunch at a restaurant in eastern Baghdad just outside Sadr City.
    Iraqi youths have lunch at a restaurant in eastern Baghdad just outside Sadr City.
  • An Iraqi Shi’ite doctor vaccinates a baby at a clinic in Sadr City.
    An Iraqi Shi’ite doctor vaccinates a baby at a clinic in Sadr City.
  • An Iraqi Shi’ite shepherd watches his buffalos cool off inside a sewage pool during hot weather in the Al-Fdhiliya district of eastern Baghdad outside of Sadr City.
    An Iraqi Shi’ite shepherd watches his buffalos cool off inside a sewage pool during hot weather in the Al-Fdhiliya district of eastern Baghdad outside of Sadr City.
  • An Iraqi Shi’ite boy plays at the park in Sadr City in Baghdad.
    An Iraqi Shi’ite boy plays at the park in Sadr City in Baghdad.

Scenes from Sadr City by Ahmed Jadallah / Reuters

Robert Mickelson

June 02, 2014

  • English
  • Arabic

Iraq is gripped by its worst violence since the heights of its 2005-2008 sectarian war, and Sunni Islamist insurgents who target Shi’ites have been regaining ground in the country over the past year. But despite the instability, daily life continues in poor Shi’ite neighbourhoods of Baghdad such as Al-Fdhiliya and Sadr City - a sprawling slum marred by poor infrastructure and overcrowding. All photos by Ahmed Jadallah of Reuters

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