CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq – With Coalition forces operating within the parameters of the security agreement most Soldiers no longer have the opportunity to experience much of Iraq’s culture. That should change, to a small degree, soon on Contingency Operating Base Basra.
“We want to get to a point where we give the feel of what a traditional Bazaar is in Iraq,” said Capt. Andrew Nathan, planning, future operations, civil military operations officer, 34th Red Bull Infantry Division. “The business group that is setting this up is creating an ambiance of a Bazaar or an oasis. It’s like coming in off the desert on your camel and you need to be refreshed and you need food and drink and a place of refuge.”
The Oasis bazaar will have a “soft” opening for business Sept. 6. The grand opening will be held Sept. 22 to allow dignitaries and VIPs in the area to participate in partaking of the food and drink available. The grand opening was scheduled later because of Ramadan.
The bazaar will offer a variety of traditional Iraqi clothing, arts and crafts, pottery products and stone carvings.
“What we’re trying to do at the Bazaar is to bring a local flavor and a (Morale Welfare and Recreation) opportunity for the Soldiers,” said Nathan, a Hillsboro, N.D. native. “(Army and Air Force Exchange Services) sells things to Soldiers they need on a daily basis and sometimes brings in some of the embroidery shops and framing shops. What we want to do is provide products AAFES doesn’t necessarily provide, plus we want to provide Soldiers with the opportunity to buy something that is very traditional, very Iraqi; souvenirs, memorabilia, something they could only get here.”
The bazaar is not only designed to allow Soldiers to purchase souvenirs, but also to give them a place where they can get away from it all.
“It’s an added MWR opportunity,” said Nathan. “There isn’t a whole lot to do on Basra so it gives the Soldiers a chance to get away from their work. This bazaar is far enough away from their normal day of work and it’s supposed to be a place of solitude. They’re trying to create a place ultimately to kind of hang out – to get away from the work.”
“It gives Soldiers a place to go to experience something they normally don’t and break up their day, break up their week,” said Nathan.
The Oasis will feature vendor stalls and tents, a pond with a fountain and a desert motif mural. Soldiers will be offered camel and horseback rides and have the opportunity to have their photos taken in front of the desert mural with the animals. “Literally they are trying to bring a traditional bazaar and traditional oasis that you would normally see out here in the desert,” said Nathan. “If people have read Arabian Nights or they see movies on the Arab culture, there is a picture in everyone’s mind of what an oasis or a bazaar would be. They want to bring that stereotype as accurately as possible to give the Soldiers that feel and that look.”
This project is also beneficial to local Iraqis. Local business men with the Moosawi Group are bringing their experience to COB Basra.
“In downtown Basra the Moosawi Group has a bazaar, like a mall-bazaar, so they are already in the business of selling some of these products,” said Nathan. “So, since we can’t go to that bazaar, they want to bring the bazaar to us … it’s going to benefit them financially. It’s a market they wouldn’t normally have access to.”
While this is beneficial for both nations, Nathan encourages Soldiers to be grateful for what the Iraqis are doing.
“They are living out their hospitality. The Arabic culture is about hospitality,” said Nathan. “We are guests in their country and they are opening their arms to us … you will see that in the bazaar; you will see their hospitality. I would really encourage the Soldiers who go to the bazaar to appreciate what the Iraqis are giving to us.”
For Nathan, the cooperation of the two nations has been, and will be, the most important part of this project. The bazaar has created an opportunity for both nations to develop a stronger bond. “This project has shown that the U.S. forces and local Iraqis can come together and develop a positive relationship. I’m very excited about this project because in the end what the Soldiers are going to come and experience, it’s going to be pretty magnificent,” said Nathan. “But what they’ll see is a lot of work was put into this. The Moosawi Group, as well as the leadership here, wanted something special, something unique … something memorable. In order to provide that there has to be that cooperation, there has to be that synergy, there has to be that bridging of cultural differences.”
For Nathan, this project has been about bridging of cultural differences and coming together.
“The bottom line message is, as we draw down and leave Iraq it’s important to have left on a high note and this bazaar, I think is not only going to be a project and a place to go, but I think it’s going to be a symbol of what we were able to accomplish together,” he said. “It will be a good memory for the Americans as well as for the Iraqis, when the Americans leave that we’ve left on a good note. We’ve left appreciating each other’s company.”
