Baghdad house tied to Agatha Christie sits abandoned, its decay a mystery

The house on the banks of the Tigris River in Baghdad that Iraq's culture ministry identifies as a former home of English mystery novelist Agatha Christie is abandoned and deteriorating, and no one has publicly explained why it has been left to decay over the past century.

The property is a heritage site controlled by Iraq's culture ministry. The Iraqi government has said it is willing to make the house available to anyone who will restore it, according to NPR News. But the building is padlocked and literally falling down.

During a visit this month, NPR News found a $200 electricity bill stuffed into a hole in the door. The bill appeared to reflect years of unpaid bills in the house's more recent history. The detail adds to the sense of neglect around a site linked to Christie.

Christie's connection to Iraq was not brief. She made dozens of trips to the country, including the journey in 1930 where she met her husband, the archaeologist Max Mallowan. Two of her novels, 'They Came to Baghdad' and 'Murder in Mesopotamia,' were set in Iraq.

The Baghdad house therefore carries literary and heritage significance. Yet its fate is unclear. The culture ministry controls it as a heritage property, and the government has signaled it would allow restoration by others. NPR News does not report any specific restoration plan, deadline or funding commitment.

For now, the house remains locked and in severe disrepair. Its decline is the mystery that hangs over the property: a building tied to Christie's time in Iraq, standing empty beside the Tigris, with a bill in the door and no announced plan to bring it back.

Source: NPR News.