Al Muderis Munjed - Going Back: How a Former Refugee, Now an Internationally Acclaimed Surgeon, Returned to Iraq to Change the Lives of Injured Soldiers and Civilians

Prince Harry visits my clinic at Macquarie University Hospital in May 2015 to find out more about osseointegration. PETER PARKS, AAP IMAGES

Prince Harry looks on as Lieutenant Alistair Spearing, the fourth British soldier to come to Australia for osseointegration, learns to use his new robotic legs. Alistair lost both legs above the knee serving in Afghanistan in 2011 when an IED exploded. PETER PARKS, AAP IMAGES

Perhaps the most recognisable landmark in Baghdad: the famous crossed scimitars guarding the ends of the military parade ground built by Saddam Husseins regime.

One of the armed escort vehicles in the convoy carrying me and my team along what was once known as Death Roadthe most dangerous road in the worldfrom Baghdad International Airport to the Green Zone. The crack across the windscreen was caused by a bullet.

Our convoy stopped at one of the military checkpoints on the road from the airport to the Prime Ministers Guest House.

The Prime Ministers Guest House, an imposing five-star hotel in Baghdads Green Zone, where we stayed.

An Iraqi armoured vehicle guards a checkpoint at the crossing from the Green Zone into the Red Zone of Baghdad.

The Baghdad Rowing Club stands as a reminder that daily life in Baghdad was once normal.

Pedestrian bridge over the Tigris River near Mutanabbi Street, close to the old quarter of the city. Barricades and armed police vehicles are strategically placed to maintain security.

Anything and everything is on sale at the chaotic Friday street market in what used to be Baghdads bus station near the old city.

The presence of the security forces is never far away in the Red Zonejust around the corner from Mutanabbi Street.

A typical street of shops and apartments in the Red Zone, Baghdad.

A busy intersection at night in the eastern part of Baghdad.

Just beyond the functioning faade of Baghdad a damaged building remains derelict as a lingering reminder of the wars that have raged through the city.

The view along the Tigris River towards the Medical City facility (far right) where I worked before escaping Iraq with my life in 1999.

Abu Nuwas Street, lined with restaurants and bars along the banks of the Tigris, was once the busy centre of Baghdads nightlife. Now it lies derelict and all but deserted.

Security men from the Prime Ministers Department accompany us on our sightseeing excursion to Abu Nuwas Street, a place I visited in my youth.

Anaesthetist Dr Ash Sehgal, physiotherapist Claudia Roberts and me walking down memory lane on Abu Nuwas Street in Baghdad, with our entourage following close behind. ASH SEHGAL

Sunset over the Tigris River.

Solitary Iraqi soldiers armed with machine guns are stationed at irregular intervals along the largely disused Abu Nuwas Street. Here, one of them poses with Patrick Weaver.

A cup of tea, sir? A tea seller inside the grounds of Al Qushla, once an Ottoman-era military barracks and now home to the Baghdad Cultural Centre.

The worlds largest cemetery, Wadi Al-Salam (Valley of Peace) is located within the city of Najaf, south of Baghdad. More than five million people are believed to be buried here.

The golden dome and minarets of the Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf, widely considered to be the holiest city in Iraq to Shiites. More than eight million pilgrims visit the mosque each year.

Exquisite tilework decorates the outside walls of the Imam Ali Mosque. Originally constructed in 977 AD and rebuilt many times since, the bulk of the current structure dates to the year 1500.

Worshippers gather on carpets outside the Imam Ali Mosque before joining Friday prayers.