Baghdad's Green Zone is now fully open twenty-four hours a day, 16 years after the area was closed to the public when the US invaded Iraq in 2003 to topple Saddam Hussein.
A few months ago, the Iraqi authorities decided to ease restrictions in the area and allow commuters to drive inside the zone for a few hours a day.
Now, it will be fully open with an additional gate, including one leading to the Iraqi Defense Ministry.
Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi had said the Green Zone would be fully open to the public on Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that marks the end of Ramadan.
The 10-square kilometer heavily guarded strip on the banks of the Tigris River was known as "Little America" following the 2003 US invasion.
The sealed-off area, with its palm trees and monuments, is home to the gigantic US Embassy in Iraq, one of the largest diplomatic missions in the world. It has also been home to successive Iraqi governments and is off limits to most Iraqis.
Only Iraqis with special security badges could enter the area.
Abu Majed, a 49-year-old taxi driver caught behind the wheel in one of Baghdad's notorious traffic jams told AFP on Tuesday, “It's great news.”
"There will be less traffic," he shrugged as he inched his car forward.
In a small way, Tuesday's reopening could herald a modern version of the legacy of Baghdad being a cultural powerhouse, said Fadel Abou Raghif, an Iraqi security expert.
"It proves that the situation is stable, that businesses and investors can come to Iraq," he told AFP.
But for Abu Sadek, a 40-year-old electrician and one of Baghdad's eight million residents, there is more to be done.
"What people want is less traffic, less poverty, and public services like water, electricity, and healthcare," he said.
