Al Rasheed

Up until his retirement, my father worked at a construction company called Skanska. In the seventies they were contracted to build a turnkey hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, called Al Rasheed.
I quote: "The luxury hotel in Baghdad was a design/build project completed by Skanska 1972–1982. In its 17-story tower and a low-rise section the hotel contains nearly 500 rooms, a banquet hall for 700 people, restaurants, a casino and a winter garden. The turnkey hotel features marble from Carrara and Swedish crystal."
Well, not only did it feature Swedish crystal, it also featured a Swedish porcelain dinner set from Rörstrand, inlaid with silver and gold. This is of course what I've photographed. 
Upon finishing the hotel, the people who had been doing the work were offered to buy that same dinner set, stamped with the hotel name in gold on the back. I jokingly refer to this dinner set as dad's "Saddam service", although now it is in my hands (and my cupboards).

My dad, now 77 years of age, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease about five years ago. His illness is now progressing at an exponential rate, and things are really quite bad. As is the case with most people suffering from dementia though, my dad has, at least up until Christmas or so, with some coaxing been able to remember his job and the big projects they've done over the years, Al Rasheed being one of them. This dinner set reminds me of my father as he was, and I will always treasure it immensely.