Rifat Chadirji (Baghdad, 1926 - London, 2020) is considered as one of the most prominent
architects in the
Arab world. Upon his return from his studies in England in 1952, Chadirji was to take part actively in the renewal and redefinition of local architecture's practice, aims and spirit. Through the work of his architecture and engineering practice, Chadirji became a pivotal cultural figure in Baghdad during the period of its postwar modernization from the 1950s through the 1970s. He was nevertheless imprisoned by the Iraqi regime in 1978. Released two years later, Rifat Chadirji left his country in 1983, and has since devoted himself to writing and to cataloguing his works.