{{Short description|Marketplace and neighborhood in Baghdad, Iraq}} {{for|the town in Armenia|Shorzha, Armenia}} {{Infobox settlement | name = Shorja | native_name = الشورجة | native_name_lang = ar | settlement_type = Neighborhood | image_skyline = Baghdad Cathedral 2016, Shorja, Iraq.jpg | imagesize = | image_alt = | image_caption = Roman Catholic Latin Cathedral of St. Joseph in the Shorja marketplace | image_flag = | flag_alt = | image_seal = | seal_alt = | image_shield = | shield_alt = | etymology = From Persian "Shurchah" (شورچاه), meaning "salty well" | nickname = | motto = | image_map = | map_alt = | map_caption = | pushpin_map = | pushpin_map_alt = | pushpin_map_caption = | pushpin_mapsize = | pushpin_label_position = | mapframe = | coordinates = {{coord|33.33937|44.39445|type:city|display=inline,title}} | coor_pinpoint = | coordinates_footnotes = | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = {{Flag|Iraq}} | subdivision_type1 = City | subdivision_name1 = Baghdad | subdivision_type2 = | subdivision_name2 = | subdivision_type3 = | subdivision_name3 = | established_title = | established_date = | founder = | seat_type = | seat = | government_footnotes = | government_type = | governing_body = | leader_party = | leader_title = | leader_name = | leader_title1 = | leader_name1 = | leader_title2 = | leader_name2 = | leader_title3 = | leader_name3 = | leader_title4 = | leader_name4 = | unit_pref = Metric | area_footnotes = | area_urban_footnotes = | area_rural_footnotes = | area_metro_footnotes = | area_note = | area_water_percent = | area_rank = | area_blank1_title = | area_blank2_title = | area_total_km2 = | area_land_km2 = | area_water_km2 = | area_urban_km2 = | area_rural_km2 = | area_metro_km2 = | area_blank1_km2 = | area_blank2_km2 = | area_total_ha = | area_land_ha = | area_water_ha = | area_urban_ha = | area_rural_ha = | area_metro_ha = | area_blank1_ha = | area_blank2_ha = | length_km = | width_km = | dimensions_footnotes = | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = | population_footnotes = | population_as_of = | population_total = | population_density_km2 = auto | population_note = | population_demonym = | timezone1 = | utc_offset1 = | timezone1_DST = | utc_offset1_DST = | postal_code_type = | postal_code = | area_code_type = | area_code = | area_codes = | iso_code = | website = | module = | footnotes = }} '''Al-Shorja''' (Arabic, '''الشورجة''') is a marketplace in Baghdad, Iraq. Located near Bab Al Sharqi market, Shorja is Baghdad's largest and oldest market.<ref>{{cite news|last=Semple|first=Kirk|title=Iraq market was tightly secured for McCain, merchants say|url=http://archive.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2007/04/03/iraq_market_was_tightly_secured_for_mccain_merchants_say/|newspaper=The Boston Globe|date=April 3, 2007|agency=New York Times News Service}}</ref> Before the Farhud or anti-Jewish pogroms of 1941, Shorja was the primary and historic Jewish quarter of Iraq. The area east of Hennouni street was Jewish complete with historic synagogues and Jewish workshops and business. In 1950 and then 1968, most of the Jewish population left Baghdad and the rest of Iraq. The neighborhood was also called "Shuriyya."
== Name == The name ''Shorja'' comes from Persian ''Shurchah'' (شورچاه) and means "salty well" because this marketplace is a landmark originally established by Persian merchants.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/la-fg-persian16apr16-story.html|title = Iraq conflict is a battle for identity| website=Los Angeles Times |date = 16 April 2007}}</ref> The adjacent neighborhood of Ab-Khana (cistern/water tank) is likewise Persian, although now Arabicized into "Aba-Khana." Both of these neighborhoods are part of the Rusafa district of eastern Baghdad in the downtown area.
== History == === During the U.S. occupation === [[File:"Panthers" patrol, police-up after improvised explosive device blast DVIDS154229.jpg|thumb|A member of the 82nd Airborne Division patrolling around the marketplace, 26 February 2009.]] Shorja was the site of several major attacks. The 12 February 2007 Baghdad bombings killed 76 people and injured 155–180.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article2264670.ece| work=The Independent| title=Multiple bomb attack on Baghdad kills 76| first=Kim| last=Sengupta| date=13 February 2007| accessdate=2007-04-02| location=London| url-status=dead| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070403073447/http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article2264670.ece| archivedate=3 April 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6353487.stm| publisher=BBC News| date=12 February 2007| title=Dozens killed in Baghdad bombings}}</ref> Near the marketplace on March 26, 2007, a suicide car bomber killed two people and injured five others.<ref>[http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/KAM621873.htm Reuters AlertNet - FACTBOX-Security developments in Iraq, March 26<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Snipers hidden in Shorjh's bazaar killed several people around the same time and gunfights erupted between militants and the Iraqi security forces in the area.<ref name="NYT 04/03">{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/03/world/middleeast/03mccain.html?_r=2&hp=&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin| work=The New York Times| date=April 3, 2007| title=McCain Wrong on Iraq Security, Merchants Say| first=Kirk| last=Semple| accessdate=2007-04-02}}</ref>
On 1 April 2007, American presidential candidate John McCain, in an effort to illustrate that the security situation had improved, visited the Shorja marketplace. The visit was criticized by the New York Times as giving a false indication of how secure the area was due to the weighty security forces McCain brought with him.<ref name="NYT 04/03"/> Indiana Representative Mike Pence was also criticized for visiting the market, under large security including helicopters overhead, and saying it was "like a normal outdoor market in Indiana in the summertime."<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/03/world/middleeast/03mccain.html?ex=1333252800&en=6d4cc90785eb9d17&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss | work=The New York Times | title=McCain Wrong on Iraq Security, Merchants Say | first=Kirk | last=Semple | date=2007-04-03 | accessdate=2010-05-23}}</ref>
== Landmarks == {{Section empty|date=February 2025}}
== See also ==
* Baghdad Jewish Community Center * Bataween * History of the Jews in Baghdad
==References== {{reflist}}
=== External links === *[https://www.alshorja.net Al-Shorja Market]
Category:Economy of Baghdad Category:Buildings and structures in Baghdad Category:Iraq War sites in Baghdad Category:Jews and Judaism in Baghdad
{{Baghdad-stub}} {{Iraq-geo-stub}}