The cherished playground of Baghdad’s social elite thrived under British colonial rule, independence, the fall of the monarchy, coups, three wars and Saddam Hussein. But now its marble halls are struggling to repel Baghdad’s new moral custodians, who want the Alwiya closed. In a city being slowly throttled by religious fundamentalists, guests are scared of being kidnapped or worse if they venture inside what hardline Shia militias regard as the pit of Baghdad’s decadence.

The club, built alongside Firdous Square where Saddam’s statue was toppled by invading American troops three years ago, was targeted in a recent bomb attack and is in a dilapidated state. Its lawns are parched and flower beds overgrown.

Yet despite the obvious decline, Mr Zaki, the manager, remains optimistic that the Alwiya can be restored to its former glory with a $1 million (£528,000) refurbishment plan.

He expects the three rubble-strewn swimming pools to be open again by next month and has promised the French Ambassador, one of the Alwiya’s 50,000 members, that his preferred tennis court will be ready before then.

White House planners had hoped that club members would provide the core of the country’s new civil society. But the professional classes have fled overseas and the only topic of conversation in the near-empty lounge yesterday was who would be next to throw their farewell party at the club. Among the handful of members having lunch was Lamia Talebani, 60, a university lecturer and leading figure of the Voice of Independent Women Organisation. “Life here is not easy, but we must ensure life goes on and we do not give in to those who tell us how to dress and how to live,” she said.

The Alwiya prides itself on never asking a member’s religion, nor whether they are Shia or Sunni. It is still one of a handful of places where men and women can socialise together.

Mr Zaki, 63, a former military pilot, proudly recites the club’s history from its opening in 1924, three years after Britain bolted together three provinces of the Ottoman Empire to create the state of Iraq. Then, only Britons and foreign diplomats were allowed membership, and guests were required to wear evening dress in the dining room. After independence in 1932 the Alwiya was still regarded as a Western preserve and, in 1958, when a military coup led by Abdul Karim Kassem toppled and murdered the British-backed King, Iraq’s new guard wanted the club abolished until senior figures were invited to join.

When the Baath party came to power in 1968, the Alwiya’s future was again threatened, but membership for Saddam and his family ensured its survival. Members speak highly of the stewardship of Saddam’s brother, Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, who in 1972 declared himself the club secretary. Appalled at how standards had slipped, Barzan introduced the rule that members could not enter the building still wearing swimsuits. “He brought discipline back,” Mr Zaki said.

Saddam’s psychotic son, Uday, preferred to amuse himself at the rather more louche Baghdad Hunting Club, though there were several violent episodes when he pitched up at the Alwiya to terrorise women guests and anyone who tried to thwart his will.

A couple of Iraqi exiles turned up immediately after the invasion and laid claim to the Alwiya, though they soon tired of Baghdad and left. Now that it is back in the members’ hands, Mr Zaki says that the club applies the same strict rules for new applicants.

They must have a college degree, and men need to be married, unless they are diplomats. New members have to be nominated by two existing ones. Any objection and the application is rejected. If accepted, members pay about $300 (£160) for a year’s membership.

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