Confusion on the streets of Baghdad

By Matthew Price BBC correspondent in Baghdad

Driving around Baghdad is frustrating and confusing these days.

Some of the streets have been blocked off by checkpoints set up by coalition forces.

There are few reminders of Saddam Hussein left on Baghdad's streets

So the traffic in the early morning is slowed to a halt in the centre.

Then there are the street names.

People have got used to the changing names of key routes over the last half century.

When the monarchy was overthrown in the 1950s, roads named after the king and queen were removed.

Then when the Baath Party came to power, names celebrating the revolution were changed.

And now Saddam has gone, everywhere named by or after him has a new name.

The problem is, since there is no real government at the moment, it is all being changed by individuals putting up their own signs.

It is chaos - as you would imagine.

Whose university?

I asked one of the men who works as a driver for the BBC in Baghdad, Dylan, to take me round with our translator Dr Mohammed.

Dylan told me where we were going: "We'll head off to Saddam's University," he said.

Once Saddam University, it's now Al-Nahrain

"You still call it Saddam University?", I asked. "No. It's changed."

"But you just referred to it as Saddam University."

"Yes. Because I know only Saddam's University. I don't know about new names. I can't say all the other names. It's many, many years Saddam's University."

But Dylan - and the rest of Baghdad - will have to get used to it.

We stopped at Saddam University.

The new sign outside says it is now Nahrain University - meaning "Two Rivers University" after the Tigris and Euphrates.

And a lot of the names are new.

Along with Saddam University, names like Saddam International Airport and Saddam Hospital have vanished.

People power

A while back, Saddam Hussein renamed a main road in the city after the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat.

The problem is, like many things in Baghdad, local people are taking things into their own hands

Now though, those signs have been taken down by local Shia Muslims, and the road has been renamed after a holy man.

The Shia make up 60% of the population, but under the former regime they faced discrimination.

The old signs for al-Kaed bridge (The Leader Bridge) have been taken down.

Now a freshly painted sign at the entrance to the bridge states you are about to cross al-Hussein Bridge, named after the grandson of the prophet Mohammed.

And all along the bridge, people have joined in with their own renaming ceremonies.

Individuals have written their names on the pillars, naming the bridge after themselves.

Wiping out associations

In fact, there are few reminders of Saddam around now. His face once adorned almost every street corner.

People have performed their own renaming ceremonies

Now you just do not see it. It has been obliterated from every bridge, every mural.

Another change has been to Abu Nawas street. He was an Arab poet whose work was well known for celebrating wine.

The road was named after him because of the large number of bars and drinking establishments along its length.

But now the old signs have been taken down. The street is now called Safenat al-Najat.

My translator, Dr Mohammed, told me local Shia wanted to get rid of the name because of its link to alcohol.

"Many people can see there is some justification in changing the name of those roads that carry the name of Saddam Hussein. But I personally don't agree with changing the name of Abu Nawas into something else.

"This is a very traditional name. Just like you couldn't say we will change the name of Oxford Street in London into Blair Street for example."

People power

The problem is, like many things in Baghdad, local people are taking things into their own hands.

When the war first ended for instance, there were no traffic police, so people took to the streets themselves to try to keep the traffic moving.

Clearly, the city council has more important things to worry about than what the streets are called.

But the old names are certainly no longer appropriate.

So there is not a lot that can be done to stop people re-naming the roads.

Even if it does make things difficult for people like Dylan.