Iraq History

Iraq Wiki Topics

Iraq Beginning Research

Getting Started Online Learning Record Finder Research Strategies Finding Town of Origin

Record Types

Cemeteries Census Church Records Civil Registration Colonial Records Compiled Genealogies Directories Emigration & Immigration Newspapers Online Genealogy Records Religious Records Tribes and Clans

Iraq Background

Biographies Gazetteers History Languages Maps Naming Customs Social Life & Customs

Iraq Genealogical Word Lists

Arabic Turkish

Local Research Resources

Archives & Libraries Societies Local FamilySearch Center

In other languages: العربية | Kurdí, کوردی, or K’öрди

Middle East

Iraq

History

General History

Why use histories in your research? Learn why on the History Wiki page

Iraq, historically known as Mesopotamia, is often called the "cradle of civilization" due to its early development of urban societies. Ancient Iraq was home to several influential empires, including the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, and Assyrians. After the fall of the Assyrian Empire, the rise of Islam in the 7th century profoundly influenced Iraq, making it a central part of the Islamic world and leading to the establishment of Baghdad as a major cultural and intellectual hub during the Abbasid Caliphate.

Iraq was ruled by the Ottoman Empire from 1534 to 1920, with a brief period of autonomy under the Mamluk state from 1704 to 1831. During this time, it was made up of three provinces, called vilayets in the Ottoman language: Mosul Vilayet, Baghdad Vilayet, and Basra Vilayet. Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in 1920, the British Mandate of Mesopotamia was created under the authority of the League of Nations and a British-backed monarchy joined these vilayets into one Kingdom. The Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq gained independence from the UK in 1932 and in 1958, the monarchy was overthrown and the Iraqi Republic created. Iraq has experienced significant emigration due to military and political conflicts, leading to a large diaspora of Iraqis in Germany, Sweden, the USA, Canada, and Australia, particularly in the early 21st century.

Iraq is now home to diverse ethnic groups including Arabs, Kurds, Assyrians, Turkmen, Shabakis, Yazidis, Armenians, Mandeans, Circassians and Kawliya. Around 95% of the country's 37 million citizens are Muslims, with additional small populations of Christians, Yarsans, Yezids and Mandeans. Despite the challenges of colonial rule and subsequent conflicts, Iraq boasts a rich cultural heritage and resilient spirit and is renowned for its historical sites, cultural traditions, literature, music, and art.

Timeline

• 3500-539 BCE Ancient Mesopotamia flourishes with the rise of the Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, and Assyrian empires, contributing significantly to early human civilization with innovations in writing, law, and architecture.
• 762 CE Baghdad is founded and becomes the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate, marking a golden age of Islamic culture, science, and intellectualism.
• 1534-1920 Iraq is part of the Ottoman Empire, with a brief period of autonomy under the Mamluk state from 1704 to 1831.
• 1920-1932 British mandate period following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War I.
• 1932 Iraq gains independence and becomes the Kingdom of Iraq.
• 1958 The Kingdom of Iraq is overthrown, and the Republic of Iraq is established.
• 2003-2011 U.S.-led coalition invasion and subsequent occupation, leading to significant waves of emigration of Iraqis to Germany, Sweden, the USA, Canada, and Australia.