Youssef Abdelkarim’s storefront on one of Baghdad’s most historic streets is a time capsule — literally. Thousands of wristwatches fill the tiny shop, where three generations have repaired Iraq’s oldest timepieces.
The dusty display window on Rasheed Street features a single row of classic watches in their felt boxes right at the front, with a mountain of haphazardly piled pieces behind it and others hanging from hooks overhead.
Inside, there are watches in plastic buckets on the floor, packed in cardboard boxes on shelves and stuffed into suitcases.
In a far corner, behind an old wooden desk, 52-year-old Abdelkarim is hunched over an antique piece.
“Every watch has its…
Keep on reading: Baghdad’s wristwatch repairman is a timeless treasure