It's easy to miss the most prominent architectural feature of Forward Operating Base Warhorse, even though it takes up far more space than any other object in the area.
It's called T-wall, and it's everywhere you go. Individual segments look like concrete obelisks with a widened base. Think of a giant road divider and you've about got the picture. The segments interlock like tongue and groove paneling, creating a barrier against rocket and mortar attacks.
Although the intent of the walls is decidedly utilitarian, they have taken on their own character. They turn ordinary streets on the base into surreal giant hallways at night, the gravel avenues stretching out between monoliths that recall the opening of 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The walls conceal most base structures from view, and the experience can be confusing for a newcomer - there's a feeling not unlike that of being inside a giant game of Pac-Man as you weave your way around the barriers. After a few days, though, the T-wall grid gets easier to understand.
The soldiers have a fondness for the T-wall, too: miniature replicas
are available for purchase as a memento of their time at the base.
I haven't been able to get figures on how many take advantage of the offer.
T-wall even plays a role in politics: as a show of confidence in Iraqi forces' ability to keep the peace after the June 30 handover of urban security, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki declared that the walls throughout Baghdad would come down. Tearing down walls is always a powerful symbol, and Maliki knew that.
Unfortunately, the recent bombings in Baghdad have shown that Maliki's faith in the city's security may have been ill-founded, and he is now coming under attack for playing politics with his people's safety.
Quietly, the T-walls in Baghdad have been going back up.
Iraqis may be eager to put the walls behind them, but in the interest of their well-being, it looks like they'll have to put up with them for at least a little while longer.