As the sixth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Baghdad nears, there are ample signs that the city is settling back into some regular rhythms. The U.S. military says attacks nationwide are down more than 70 percent from a year ago. Thousands crowd public and amusement parks on weekends. Stores in Baghdad remain open well into the night and attendance at schools and colleges is at its highest levels since the war began in 2003.
In the city's storied Mutanabi street book market area, devastated by a March 2007 bombing, buildings have been renovated and the street resurfaced with tiles where sellers can display their books on flattened cardboard boxes. (15 images)
In the city's storied Mutanabi street book market area, devastated by a March 2007 bombing, buildings have been renovated and the street resurfaced with tiles where sellers can display their books on flattened cardboard boxes. (15 images)
Men gather in front of a window at the Mutanabi street book market Feb. 4, in Baghdad, Iraq. The book market, named after a legendary 10th-century poet, was devastated by a March 2007 bombing which killed scores and closed the area down. Now, after a renovation, and with Baghdad's improved security, the book market has re-opened for business. Getty Images / Chris Hondros
Patrons mill about at the Mutanabi street book market Feb. 4, in Baghdad, Iraq. The storied book market, named after a legendary 10th-century poet, was devastated by a March 2007 bombing which killed scores and closed the area down. Now, after a renovation and with Baghdad's improved security, the book market has re-opened for business. Getty Images / Chris Hondros
A bookseller shelves books at a shop in the Mutanabi street book market Feb. 4, in Baghdad, Iraq. Getty Images / Chris Hondros
An Iraqi family looks over books and DVDs at the Mutanabi street book market Feb. 4, in Baghdad, Iraq. Getty Images / Chris Hondros
A man looks over seletions from a bargain-book pile at the Mutanabi street book market Feb. 4, in Baghdad, Iraq. Getty Images / Chris Hondros
A bookbinder uses a drill to bore holes in paper in preparation for binding at the Mutanabi street book market Feb. 4, in Baghdad, Iraq. The storied book market, named after a legendary 10th-century poet, was devastated by a March 2007 bombing which killed scores and closed the area down. Now, after a renovation and with Baghdad's improved security, the book market has re-opened for business. Getty Images / Chris Hondros
Old books sit on a shelf at the Mutanabi street book market Feb. 4, in Baghdad, Iraq. Getty Images / Chris Hondros
A stock boy loads up paper and office supplies at the Mutanabi street book market Feb. 4, in Baghdad, Iraq. Getty Images / Chris Hondros
A stack of paper and other office supplies sit for sale at the Mutanabi street book market Feb. 4, in Baghdad, Iraq. . Getty Images / Chris Hondros
An Iraqi man inspects an address book at the Mutanabi street book market Feb. 4, in Baghdad, Iraq. Getty Images / Chris Hondros
An art-supply vendor tends to a man looking over fountain pens at the Mutanabi street book market Feb. 4, in Baghdad, Iraq. The storied book market, named after a legendary 10th-century poet, was devastated by a March 2007 bombing which killed scores and closed the area down. Now, after a renovation and with Baghdad's improved security, the book market has re-opened for business. Getty Images / Chris Hondros
People mill about al-Rasheed street near the entrance to the Mutanabi street book market Feb. 4, in Baghdad, Iraq.Getty Images / Chris Hondros
An old Ottoman-era street leading to the entrance to the Mutanabi street book market is seen Feb. 4, in Baghdad, Iraq. Getty Images / Chris Hondros
A man walks through the rubble just after a suicide car bomb exploded in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, March 5, 2007. A suicide car bomber struck near the well-known Mutanabi book market in central Baghdad, killing at least 26 people and injuring more than 50, in a first major blast in the city in several days, police said. AP / Khalid Mohammed
A firefighter pours water on books on Monday, March 6, 2007, at Baghdad's oldest book market ripped by a car bomb attack the day before, killing 30 people, setting shops ablaze and leaving body parts scattered across the symbolic heart of Iraq's intellectual life. At least 65 people were also wounded in the powerful blast on Mutanabi Street, an ancient centre of learning and culture and a rare pleasure for the capital's war-weary citizens. AFP / Getty Images / Sabah Arar
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