Omar Razek, a correspondent for the BBC's Arabic Service, is writing an online diary of his experiences in Baghdad.
Follow his diary here in English, and in Arabic every day at www.bbcarabic.com
Monday 22 December 2003
I did not feel the festive season in Iraq. There is no obvious sign of it in the streets.
We might have totally forgotten to celebrate if it wasn't for our Iraqi Catholic colleague, who brought us some Christmas cakes.
We then decided to buy a Christmas tree, which we decorated and lit.
Most of the foreign correspondents I know will celebrate Christmas with soldiers from their countries at their camps in southern Iraq.
Last night I went to the Babil Hotel to do an interview. There I saw several wedding parties.
Celebrations, flowers, and ladies in beautiful eveningwear. It's not a common sight in Baghdad, but it's a sure sign that the city is starting to regain its normality, after the intensity of the explosions has waned.
Tuesday 23 December
Rain has added an additional obstacle in Baghdad. Today was a cloudy, wet and cold day.
Bored, I went to the famous Al Zahwi cafe in Al Rashid Street. There you'll find a different kind of customer: intellectuals, politicians and retired army officers, all drinking tea or "hamud", a special blend of tea and dried lime.
Not much talk, but plenty of reflection in this café, which is named after the well-known Iraqi poet of Kurdish descent.
The waiter was an Egyptian who has been living in Iraq for 25 years and who did not leave in spite of the wars. It is the only cafe that stays open at night in Baghdad.
Wednesday 24 December
Hundreds of individuals and firms are pouring into Iraq in search of investment opportunities. Some of them are "real", while others have no experience.
No commodity or product is absent from Baghdad; the borders are wide open. There are no customs or taxes with the result that people are keen on buying imported products, especially those coming from east Asia.
None of this can continue without real security.
When the sound of explosions echoed last night, I was in the lobby of my hotel together with its owner, an Israeli journalist and an American businessman and his friend.
At first we did not worry too much. The businessman, however, wanted to know where these explosions were. He wondered who was attacking whom, and why and where.
He was much more interested in the details than us journalists. He explained that he wanted to know what was happening before he invested his money.
Thursday 25 December
This was the toughest night in Baghdad. I listened to the sound of gunfire for two hours.
I knew it was coming from an area that was relatively far away from where I was staying. At five in the morning, however, my building shook. I took refuge in the hallway that separates two of the rooms both of which overlook the street.
I heard the sirens in the Green Zone.
In order to file a report for live radio, I had to stand as close to the windows of my room as was possible to ensure a good signal.
A few minutes later, the Sheraton hotel was hit by missiles. A stray missile hit a residential building next-door.
Since arriving in Baghdad, the city has not had a quiet period that lasted longer than two days.
Later on my way to work, Al Sadoun Street was busy as usual, with moneychangers gathered on Ferdous Square.
Friday 26 December
Neither the streets of Kufa nor its buildings have been under any kind of reconstruction for generations, to the extent that any visitor to the city would wonder how it was once one of the most important capitals of Islam.
In the big mosque of the city there were thousands who gathered to listen to Friday prayers, and the "Gomaa" speech which was delivered by Shia Imam Moqtada Al-Sadr.
This man has become a phenomenon and is always pursued by TV cameras and media who quote whatever he says.
In the hall of the mosque, Al-Sadr was met with cheers and loyal slogans from the worshippers, who were mainly youths. Many men and women gathered in the same place.
He started his speech by raising doubts about the US, not forgetting to condemn the French stance towards banning the veil in its schools.
A few metres from the mosque lies the house of Ali Bin Abi Taleb, the Fourth Khalif in Islam. The house was crowded with thousands of Iranian visitors who wanted to go inside.
We went for lunch in an Iraqi restaurant which only offered Iranian starters; dozens were queuing to get a seat.
The Shia holy sites are really seeing many visitors these days.
Sunday 28 December
I did not get a chance to write during my stay in Karbala. I had to get there in a hurry and when I arrived it was already dark.
After 2100 local time, the authorities imposed a curfew. American and Bulgarian forces were combing the streets, following the suicide attacks on Saturday.
Outside the governor's office, I heard many contradictory tales. Some civilians were talking about a suicide car attack, while some police officers said it was a rocket attack.
The coalition authorities are refusing to comment.
When I met the Polish commander for the region, it seemed to me that perhaps some Iraqi police officers were trying to cover up what had taken place.
It appears that a car packed with explosives managed to pass through security barriers before exploding.
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