Welcome to 7 Eyes Gallery

Walking in the streets of Baghdad, in the old city when you enter the houses you will notice the seven eyes symbol hanging either on the wall or placed in a prominent area of the reception room. This symbol sits happily amongst Muslims, Christians and many of the religious minorities that exist in what is known today as Iraq, in Sulamania a city in the Kurdish north, Baghdad the capital, in Basra, the port city, amongst the marsh Arabs in the south, as well as the nomads in the west.

So what is this symbol that unites so many seemingly divided people?

The importance of eyes dates back to over 5000 years ago, it became sacred for many of the civilisations that occupied ancient Mesopotamia, in those cultures the deities were often portrayed with enlarged eyes, in both human and animal forms. The eyes were seen as the portal for an elevated or illuminated spirit and where the divine may reside, the number seven had a particular significance in Babylonian times, it was used for music scales as most stringed instruments had seven strings, including the harp an instrument used in most rituals in ancient Mesopotamia, till now the number seven is considered an auspicious number.