[1] It runs parallel to the Tigris and, along with Yafa Street (named after the port city of Jaffa), it leads to the Assassin's Gate, an archway that served as the main entrance to the American-run Green Zone during the 2003 invasion of Iraq,[1][2] as well as al-Shawy Mosque.

[citation needed] The street was given its current name by Saddam Hussein in the 1980s as part of a redevelopment program, and is lined with many high-rise buildings.

[citation needed] The area that would become Haifa Street contained the old Sheikh Sandal Mosque which was a part of al-Karkh and used to house festivals, feasts, and all Islamic prayers.

The mosque played a large role in fueling enthusiasm in the Iraqi Revolt against British colonialism.

The later modern buildings on Haifa Street were designed by Mo'ath al-Alusi who mentioned in his book "Nostos.

According to al-Alusi the project was also flawed in that it didn't contain open public spaces which he described as an imbalance to the population living in the street.

[citation needed] American troops stationed in Baghdad at the time, C Company, 1/153 IN of the Arkansas Army National Guard, part of Task Force 1/9, dubbed the street "Purple Heart Boulevard".

The project included the paving of the sidewalks with glazed muqarnas, removing deformities, installing decorative lighting poles and for the buildings, constructing four fountains, furnishing the street's traffic signs, installing bicycle lanes, painting the façades of the buildings, and planning.