Samawa café doubles as museum showcasing antiques, taxidermy from around the world

SAMAWA — In a quiet corner of Samawa’s District 36, Haidar Kareem has turned a lifelong passion for history and heritage into a unique cultural landmark: a café that doubles as an open museum filled with rare antiques, taxidermy specimens, and artifacts collected from across the globe.

Decorated in a blend of Baghdadi and Babylonian styles, the space houses more than 60 full-body taxidermy animals and around 40 preserved parts — including lions, bears, giraffes, monkeys, and exotic birds not native to Iraq. “These animals came from Britain and include a 10-year quality certificate,” Haidar told 964media. “Unlike regional methods where feathers or fur fall out after one or two years, these are preserved to last.”

The collection includes more than 200 hand-engraved vases, some Chinese and others pharaonic, dating from 20 to over 200 years old, with prices ranging from $200 to $1,000. “I have a Yemeni dagger that’s 200 years old, a cigarette lighter from Iraq’s 1920 revolution, and an Ottoman-era silver tray set worth around $2,000,” he said.

Haidar began collecting during travels across Europe and the Middle East, prioritizing museum visits and sourcing items himself. “We’re the generation of the 1970s and ’80s — we love folklore and old memories,” he said. “Since childhood, I’ve been passionate about heritage.”

His café is furnished with period pieces from the 1960s and ’70s. One wall displays a signed wedding photo album of Princess Diana. “It was once owned by someone close to her and was offered for sale after her death. I bought it because it’s extremely rare,” he said.

The collection also includes a saddle piece used by Libyan resistance leader Omar Mukhtar, French weaponry from World War I, a meteorite fragment acquired in Erbil, and more than 400 historical coins — including old British pounds, French francs, and Chinese yuan, some over 160 years old.

After inspecting the space, Iraq’s Antiquities Authority confirmed that none of the pieces qualify as national antiquities and approved the venue to operate as a licensed heritage gallery. “They granted me a license to run it as an antiques gallery,” Haidar said.

“I also own a set of ivory knives that are over 100 years old, handcrafted from elephant ivory, along with forks and spoons made in Mosul in 1930 — I bought them from the great-grandson of the craftsman who made them,” he added.