In Baghdad, life behind razor wire and concrete barricades, guarded by watchtowers, often becomes claustrophobic for foreigners.

Baghdad used to be a bustling metropolis, a pleasant place to spend a day out. But it has turned into a patchwork quilt of heavily fortified compounds, modern-day forts that have cropped up across the city to protect their residents from violence and kidnapping.

So the only solution for those who can no longer stand being locked up is to go fort hopping.

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