Baghdad

Baghdad appears in Varg Vikernes’s recollections as a place where his family lived while his father worked in Iraq. The account gives the city significance not as a permanent home but as a brief, formative setting shaped by family circumstances, school, and visits to historical sites.

Family and Setting

Vikernes said that his family went to Baghdad because his father was working for Saddam Hussein. His father was involved in developing a computer program intended to control Iraq’s economy, and brought the family with him during that work. The recollection situates the family’s stay within a specific professional assignment rather than describing it as a move made for schooling or leisure.

Schooling and Daily Restrictions

Vikernes recalled attending an Iraqi elementary school for one year. The English school could not accept him because it was full, so he went to a regular Iraqi school, where he could use some basic English. He described the decision as probably his mother’s: she did not want the children to stay at home bored, and the family could not go out much because of the danger posed by rabid dogs. School therefore served as a way to keep the children active while their movements were limited.

Memories of the City and Its Surroundings

Among the places Vikernes remembered visiting was Babylon, which he described as no longer existing after Saddam Hussein had torn the site down; he recalled seeing its ruins and other mythological sites. His account also includes the danger of being chased by rabid dogs. These sharply contrasting memories—ancient sites and immediate street-level hazards—give Baghdad the character of a brief but vivid childhood setting, recalled through what the family could visit and what kept them close to home.