Booksellers on Baghdad's Mutanabbi Street, the city's historic book market, kept their stalls open after dark for an evening poetry reading that drew a large crowd.
Poets read in classical Arabic and in Iraqi dialect from a small stage near the riverside end of the street, while listeners browsed stalls between readings.
"The street is usually busiest on Friday mornings," said Mustafa, a bookseller. "Tonight felt like a Friday that forgot to end."
Organisers said they invited young poets alongside established names, to give newer voices an audience.
The booksellers hope to make the evening a regular monthly event.
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