Al-Rashid Hotel

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The Al-Rashid Hotel (Arabic,فندق الرشيد) is an 18-story hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, favored by journalists and media personnel. It is named for Harun Al-Rashid.

It gained fame during the 1991 Persian Gulf War when CNN conducted their newscasts from the hotel. Between the Persian Gulf War and the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the building was the main housing facility for Western businessmen and diplomats, as well as foreign press.

After the invasion, the hotel was converted into a base for the Coalition and the American military. On October 26, 2003 ten 68mm and 85mm Katyusha rockets were fired at and struck the hotel, killing Lieutenant Colonel Charles H. Buehring and injuring 17 others. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz was staying in the hotel the night of the attack but was unhurt.

A tile mosaic depicting U.S. President George H.W. Bush with a look of astonishment on his face was installed on the floor of the lobby after the Persian Gulf War. This was intended to force any visitors to walk over his face to enter the hotel (a serious insult in Arab culture). The mosaic was smashed by U.S. soldiers after the invasion, who replaced it with one of Saddam Hussein [1].

Before the 2003 invasion of Iraq the hotel housed a shopping centre. The shops offered handmade items, souvenirs, carpets and jewellery shops. The hotel also housed an internet cafe in 2002.