(24 Jun 2016) LEAD IN:
A Baghdad man has created a lush roof garden as a meeting place for his friends and family.
Jamal al-Rubayee cultivated the space so they would have a safe place to go, with no danger of getting caught in militant attacks.
STORY-LINE:
At the top of this building is a little oasis.
Jamal al-Rubayee is taking his guests upstairs to experience the lush haven he has created.
The 60-year-old restaurateur is fond of cultivating plants and flowers, so he's put his green-fingers to use and transformed the roof into a beautiful garden.
And now friends and family travel to al-Rubayee's home in the neighbourhood of Wiziriya to meet up.
"We cannot meet in cafes and casinos as they are always being targeted by terrorists, therefore, I created this garden for us to meet in a place where it is safe and no harm can be done," he says.
At around 50 square metres (538 square feet), the space is full of flowers, plants, statues and water features.
Al-Rubayee believes tranquil environments like this are the perfect antidote to violence in the capital.
Earlier this month, an Islamic State group suicide bombing killed at least 15 people in a commercial area of the New Baghdad district.
''I think each and every person should buy seeds and sow them where explosions took place and claimed lives of innocent people so that such areas will be places of roses and green rather than places of terror," says al-Rubayee.
With the help of his granddaughter, he prunes and waters the garden.
And more guests arrive as the evening draws closer.
Visitor Taha al-Mashhadani particularly likes the parts of the garden which encourage birds to come here.
The guests have arrived to break the Ramadan fast together.
And as the sun sets, there couldn't be a more peaceful place to enjoy Iftar.
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