Mahdawi courts 307, 308, 312–13
overthrow of Saddam 377, 380–1
Baghdad College 212–13, 277
Baghdad Modern Art Group 252
Baghdad Opera House 189–90
Baghdad Pact (1955) 255–6, 260, 266, 290
Baghdad Radio 167, 252
Baghdad Stock Exchange 142
Baghdad Times 120
Baghdad Vilayet 7
Bahri, Yunis 183
Balfour, Frank 86
Balkans 7
Banco Nazionale del Lavoro 366
Baquba 144
Barzani, Mulla Mustafa 335, 376
Bashir, Jamil 169–70, 213–14
Basra xxx, 17, 20, 26, 63, 78, 89, 95, 96, 102, 113, 118, 144, 204, 277
Basra railway 96–8
Bassam, Thamina Chalabi 218
memories of her mother Bibi 73, 74–5
and the markets of Baghdad 75–6
as favourite of her grandfather 131
childhood of 132, 133, 149–50
meets Crown Prince Ghazi 137
description of 150–1, 157
witnesses parental argument 159
and the Eid festival 163, 165
education of 193
shopping in Beirut 193–4
marriage of 195, 197–8, 201
friendship with Princess Badiya 211
birth of children 220, 235
unwitting visit to the kallachiya 223, 225
and her mother’s charity-giving 244
and the Saudi Royal family 247
rescued from mob violence 262–3
gives refuge to Nuri Pasha 265–6
in fear of her servants 276
arrest and return of Fahima 277
daughters sent to London 295
moves to Beirut 319
exile in London 343
and death of Bibi 363–4
Bassim, Zaki 234
Batul (friend of Saeeda) 234
Bazargan family 91
Bazzaz, Abdul Rahman 289
BBC 166, 252, 329
Bedouin 7–8, 63, 87, 106, 119
Beirut xxvii, 122, 138, 176, 178, 191–5, 226, 252, 254, 300, 316–20, 322–3, 325–6, 334, 337, 338–41, 356
Beirut College for Women 218
Bell, Gertrude 95–6, 105, 107, 115–16, 183, 185–6, 389
Berlin-Baghdad railway 10, 23
Betahon (maid) 326
Bevin, Ernest 229
Beydoun family 319
Blomberg, Axel von 204
Bombay 17
Broumana 191–5
‘the Building’ (Beirut) 325–6, 329–32, 339, 341–2
Bush, George Snr 365
Bush, George W. 375
Cairo 213, 215–17, 218–19, 252, 253–4
Cairo Conference (1921) 95
Cairo Zoo 217
Cambridge University 122–3, 127–8, 250
Central Treaty Organization (CENTO) 256
Chadirchi family 91
Chaigahwa, Habib 118, 132–3, 215
Chalabi, Abdul Ghani 8, 25, 32, 111, 112, 203
Chalabi, (Abdul) Hadi
and the stone deer xxvii
befriends Ni’mati 15, 16, 18, 19, 148
father’s fears for 24, 26
works for the Turkish 6th Army 26–30, 33, 61
description of 27–8
sees his first aeroplane 30–1
observes East-West interactions 32
wife chosen for 35–45
wedding of 53–6
and British occupation of Baghdad 66–7, 77
and the Ashura procession 78–9
enjoys café life 81–2
and post-War politics 87
and preparations for King Faisal’s visit 99–101, 103
moves into the Deer Palace 112
business enterprises 118–20, 153, 159–60, 247–9, 254
and death of his brother Abdul Rasul 138–41
political career 142–6, 153
and killing of girl and her husband 145
arrest of 151–4
imprisonment and release 154–6, 157
relationship with Bibi 158–9, 354
incensed at Rushdi’s nightly escapades 173–5
agrees to send Rushdi to London 176
agrees to send Rushdi to Beirut 178
moves to Sif Palace 179–80
and marriage of Thamina 195, 197–8
and assassination of Haidar 198–200
political and family tensions 203, 205–6
provides refuge for Jewish families 205–6
loyalty to Kazimiya 227
as owner of dogs and horses 227
supports Jabr 231–2
and oil revenues 235–6
buys jewels for Bibi 238–9
takes his family to Paris 238–41
moves into his new house 241
declines to buy Dolphin Square, London 248, 315
visit to Turkey 257
and military discontent 258–9
asked to deposit money offshore for Prince Regent 259, 313
and the military coup 275
exile in London 285–8, 306–7, 313–15, 352–4
welcomes Ahmad and Ghazi to London 293–4
organizes his grandchildren’s lives 296–7
moves to Beirut 316–17, 319, 322–3, 324, 326
returns to Baghdad 320–2
returns to London 323
love of carpets 330–1
and death of Ni’mati 332
illness and death 357–9
funeral of 359–61
Chalabi, Abdul Hussein
appearance of 5–6
rigorous daily schedule 5–6
listens to grievances and requests 6–12, 133
administration of his lands 7–8
and the locust story 8–10
summoned to the shrine 12–16
agrees to help with gift of carpets 16
visits his sister and brother-in-law at the Deer Palace 16–19
and the pot of earth 19–22
and the outbreak of War 23–6
and marriage of his son Hadi 35, 50
meets Bibi’s grandfather 44
relationship with Bibi 59, 61–3, 129–30
and defeat of the Ottomans 67
and British occupation of Baghdad 77–8, 83–5
involvement in politics 86–8, 91–2, 94, 95
meets and entertains King Faisal 96–101, 103–5
at King Faisal’s installation 106
as Minister of Education 109–10, 113–14, 127, 153
banned from the Kazimiya shrine 110–11, 287–8
moves into the Deer Palace 112–13, 114–16
fashionable appearance of 115
visited by Gertrude Bell 115–16, 127
re-admitted to the shrine 116
encourages Abdul Rasoul to go abroad 121–2
attends Gertrude Bell’s funeral 129
loved by his grandchildren 131
and death of Abdul Rasul 140, 141
progressive attitude of 146–7
saddened at death of King Faisal 148
and arrest of Hadi 149–51, 154, 156
relationship with his wife 158
plays down his political role 159–60
and the Eid festial 164
listens to the radio 167
domestic authority of 175
moves to Sif Palace 179–80
death of 181–2, 191
Chalabi, Abdul Jabbar 250
Chalabi, Abdul Rasul 285
hears about the first aeroplane over Baghdad 31
meets Bibi for the first time 53–4, 55
celebrates Ashura 78
and political self-determination 87, 94
moves to Deer Palace 112
education of 114, 118, 120–3
attends Cambridge University 122–3, 127–8
returns to Baghdad 136–8
illness and death
138–41
elegy written for 225
Chalabi, Ahmad
birth of 220
devoted to Saeeda 232, 241, 267, 292–3
fascinated by the Marsh women 237
visits Hassan in Paris 238, 239–40
precociousness of 239–40
love of popular culture 252
escapes to Sheikh Jamil farm 270–2
bravery of 271–2, 277
called a traitor at school 276, 292
in exile in London 282–4
attends Seaford College, Sussex 302, 303–6, 329
and death of Saeeda 306
studies mathematics in America 334–5
forges lifelong friendship with Mulla Mustafa Barzani 335
marriage of 336–7
and death of Khalil and his family 342
moves to Amman 344
and death of Hadi 360
and seizing of his bank 366–9
charged with misconduct 367–8
organises opposition to Saddam Hussein 370, 371, 373, 374, 375–81
and re-burial of Bibi at Najaf 385–6
lives in Iraq 387
Chalabi, Ali Jnr 325, 356
Chalabi, Ali Snr 8–10, 117
Chalabi, Amira 35, 36–7, 41–3, 62, 244
Chalabi, Bashar 325
Chalabi, Bibi al-Bassam
memories of Baghdad xxxvii
as prospective wife of Hadi 36–7
refuses to marry a distant cousin 37–8
childhood 38–9
and death of her father 39–40
meets her future in-laws 40–4
agrees to marry Hadi 44–5
and the mahir 46–50
preparations for the wedding 51–3
wedding of 53–6
and inspection of her trousseau 56–7
married life 58–60
worries about conceiving 60–1, 108–9
relationship with her in-laws 61–3
and fall of Baghdad 64
family memories of 74–5
pregnancies 81, 85, 109, 123, 130, 138, 220
worries about Hadi 81–2
reaction to British occupation of Baghdad 82–5, 91
and King Faisal’s visit 100–1, 103–5
moves into the Deer Palace 112, 113
meets Gertrude Bell 116
attends qabuls in Deer Palace 118, 123
dislikes Hadi’s scrapes with the Bedouin 119
and blindness of her son Hassan 123–5
social skills, ambition and curiosity 129–30
hosts parties at the Deer Palace 137
attends concerts 138, 146–7
and killing of girl and her husband 145
and monthly family gatherings 149–51
arrest and release of Hadi 151, 154–6
relationship with Hadi 158–9, 354
and the Eid festival 163–6
love of music 167–8, 169
worries about Rushdi’s nightly escapades 173–5
encourages Rushdi to go to London 175–8
moves to Sif Palace 179–80
love of fashion and shopping 192–5
considered a snob 195–6
and marriage of Thamina 195, 197–8, 201
and flooding of Sif Palace 196–7
vehemently opposed to Hitler 205
not impressed with Freya Stark 210–11
monthly visits to the royal household 211
has her fortune told in Cairo 218–19
unwitting visit to the kallachiya 223, 225
visits Paris 233, 238–41
cards and gambling 242–3, 354
household duties 242–3
charity-giving 243–4
religious inclinations and superstitions 243–4, 291, 302, 365
and the Communist party 246–7
and Egyptian coup 246
anti-Arabist views 253
as supporter of Nuri Pasha 254
escapes to Sheikh Jamil farm 267, 270–3
and military coup 269
and death of Nuri Pasha 270
sends Ahmad to London 293
secretes jewels in Leila’s coat 295
pleads for Rushdi’s release 298–9
exile in London 300–2, 306, 307, 313–15, 343–4, 352–4
moves to Beirut 316–19
serious illness of 324
as matriarch 325–8
and the Lebanese civil war 339–41
and death of Khalil 342
and theft of jewellery 350–1
entertains her grandaughter Tamara with stories and verse 353–4
and death of Hadi 358–61
death and funeral of 363–4
exhumation and re-burial at Najaf 385–6
Chalabi, Burhan see Nawab, Burhan Chalabi
Chalabi, Hadi 337
Chalabi, Hashim 337
Chalabi, Hassan 109, 112
and sense of loss xxvii–xxix
blindness of 123–5, 133–5, 239
childhood and education 132–5
mimics his great aunt Munira 150
arrest and release of his father 151–2, 157
politicised education of 157
and the Eid festival 163–6
impact of radio on 167, 345
love of music 167–70, 326, 386
attends a wrestling match 171–2
and death of his grandfather 181
studies law 212–17
meets Jamila 214–16
moves to Cairo 216–17
persuades Jamila to join him in Paris 228
illness and recovery 237–8
visited by his family in Paris 239–40
and Egyptian coup 245–6
dislike of Nasser 253–4
and democratic progress 254
escape from military coup 267
escapes to Sheikh Jamil farm 270–1
keeps up family morale 276
at the Ashura ceremony 280
returns to Law Faculty 289–90
says goodbye to Ahmad and Ghazi 293
refuses to escape from Baghdad 308, 311
makes a case for Rushdi’s innocence 311
visits Bibi in Beirut 316–17
returns to Baghdad 319–20
possible arrest of 322, 323
leaves Iraq for Beirut 333–5, 341
forges lifelong friendship with Mulla Mustafa Barzani 335
decides to found a bank in Jordan 344
visits Ahmad and his family in Amman 345
learns of his niece Leila’s decision to wear the hijab 352
marriage of 356
and death of Hadi 360
and death of Bibi 364
comment on new Iraqi constitution 386
returns to Iraq 387
Chalabi, Hazem
and the Eid festival 163, 165
enchanted by tales told by Rumia 220
trip to Paris 238, 239
at Cambridge University 250
and development of Baghdad 250
exile in London 286
sends children to Lysses School in Hampshire 303
Late for Tea at the Deer Palace: The Lost Dreams of My Iraqi Family Page 44