The Turbulent Tapestry of Iraq: A Journey Through Millennia of Conflict and Culture
Home / Iraq history
Long before modern borders divided the Middle East, the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers—known as Mesopotamia—gave rise to humanity’s first cities. The Sumerians, around 3100 BCE, invented cuneiform, the world’s earliest writing system, etching economic records and epic poetry like Gilgamesh into clay tablets. Babylon later unified the region under Hammurabi’s Code (1750 BCE), one of history’s first legal systems, decreeing punishments with the infamous "eye for an eye."
By the 8th century BCE, the Assyrians built an empire stretching from Egypt to Persia, using brutal military tactics and administrative innovations. Their capital, Nineveh, boasted a library rivaling Alexandria’s. Yet overextension and rebellion led to their collapse in 612 BCE, paving the way for Nebuchadnezzar II’s Neo-Babylonian revival—complete with the Hanging Gardens, one of the Seven Wonders.
After the Arab conquest in the 7th century, Iraq became the heart of the Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258). Baghdad, founded in 762, thrived as a global hub of science and philosophy. The Bayt al-Hikma (House of Wisdom) preserved Greek texts, advanced algebra (thanks to al-Khwarizmi), and refined astronomy. Meanwhile, Shi’a Islam took root in cities like Najaf and Karbala, shaping Iraq’s religious identity.
In 1258, the Mongols under Hulagu Khan sacked Baghdad, slaughtering scholars and burning libraries. The Tigris reportedly ran black with ink from destroyed manuscripts. This catastrophe ended the Islamic Golden Age and left Iraq fragmented for centuries under Turkic and Persian rule.
By the 16th century, Iraq became a backwater of the Ottoman Empire. Tribal confederations like the Marsh Arabs resisted central control, while Sunni-Shi’a tensions simmered. The Ottomans’ neglect left infrastructure crumbling—a stark contrast to Mesopotamia’s ancient glory.
World War I shattered Ottoman control. The 1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement secretly divided the region between Britain and France. In 1920, Britain carved out "Iraq" from three Ottoman provinces (Mosul, Baghdad, Basra), installing Faisal I as king. The arbitrary borders ignored ethnic realities, lumping Sunni Arabs, Shi’a Arabs, and Kurds into a volatile mix.
After coups in 1958 and 1968, the Ba’ath Party seized power. Saddam Hussein, becoming president in 1979, ruled through fear. His regime crushed dissent (e.g., the 1988 Halabja chemical attack on Kurds) and wasted oil wealth on wars: the Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988) and Kuwait invasion (1990), which triggered U.S.-led Operation Desert Storm.
The U.S. invasion toppled Saddam in 2003 but unleashed sectarian violence. De-Ba’athification disbanded the army, empowering militias. Al-Qaeda in Iraq (later ISIS) exploited Sunni grievances, while Shi’a factions aligned with Iran. The 2014 ISIS caliphate—spanning Mosul to Raqqa—revealed the state’s fragility.
Iraq sits on the world’s fifth-largest oil reserves, yet corruption and mismanagement leave citizens in poverty. Youth unemployment sparked the 2019–2020 protests, met with brutal crackdowns. Meanwhile, Kurdish autonomy ambitions (e.g., the 2017 independence referendum) strain federal relations.
Iraq is now a theater for U.S.-Iran rivalry. Iranian-backed groups like Kata’ib Hezbollah attack U.S. bases, while Washington pressures Baghdad to curb Tehran’s influence. The 2020 assassination of Qasem Soleimani on Iraqi soil escalated tensions further.
Droughts and Turkish/Ethiopian dams threaten the Tigris and Euphrates, displacing farmers and reviving Dust Bowl-like conditions. The Marsh Arabs, once persecuted under Saddam, now face ecological annihilation.
From cuneiform to drones, Iraq’s story remains a cautionary tale of imperial hubris, resource plunder, and resilience. Its future hinges on whether its leaders—and the world—can finally learn from its past.