Known as the “Cradle of Civilization,” Iraq has a rich and complex history. Known inhabitants date back to the Chalcolithic-Stone Age. Iraq was conquered and inhabited by numerous empires, including the Sumerians, Assyrians, Babylonian, Seleucid and Parthian. The Ottoman Empire came to power in the 16th century and ruled until after World War I, when the British Empire took control for twelve years. Finally, after centuries of occupation, in 1932 Iraq established itself as its own Kingdom. In the present day, Iraq is a federal parliamentary democratic republic, run by a centralized governments.
Iraqi Contributions to World History in English
Iraqi Contributions to World History in Arabic
Abbas Ibn Firnas
Abbas Ibn Firnas lived from 810-887 A.D. He is famous for his first attempt at flight. He was also an avid engineer, poet, musician and inventor.
Abin Alhaythim
He laid the foundation for modern cameras. He found a way to project an image onto a small service in a dark room, later called camera obscure. Cineam, cameras all share the same principal.
Abo Alkasim Alzahrawi
Abo Alkasim Alzahrawi is known as the father of surgery.
Miriam Al Istrably
Miriam Al Istrably is known as the female inventor of the Arab compass and calculator.
A History of Iraqi Occupation
Sumerian Empire 4500 BC (Iron Age)
Assyrian Empire 2500 BC-2300 BC
Akkadian Empire 2334–2154 BC
Babylonian Empire 1894 BC
Neo-Assyrian Empire 934-609 BC
Medo-Persian Empire 550–330 BC
Seleucid Empire 312 BC–63 BC
Parthian Empire 247 BC – 224 AD
Sasanian Empire 224 CE to 651 CE
Rashid Caliphate-Abbasid Caliphate 7th Century known as the Islamic Golden Age
Ottoman Empire 16th Century
Mamluk Dynasty
Mandatory Iraq – British Empire 1920-1932
INDEPENDENCE Kingdom of Iraq established in 1932; Republic of Iraq established in 1958.
Saddam Hussein’s Rule 1979-2003
- Iran-Iraq War
- Persian Gulf War
American Invasion, 2003
American Exodus, December 2011