Republic of Iraq جمهورية العراق

1958 CE – 9999 CE · Mesopotamia

Shi'a-majority Arab state; Ba'athist era followed by US invasion and sectarian civil war; Iranian influence vs. Iraqi nationalism; Najaf as global center of Shi'a scholarship

Capital

Baghdad

Peak Era

750–1258 (Abbasid era) / Modern: 1970s oil boom

Historical Significance

Iraq — Mesopotamia, the 'land between the rivers' — was the seat of the Abbasid Caliphate and the center of Islamic civilization for five centuries. Modern Iraq has endured Ba'athist dictatorship, the Iran-Iraq War, the Gulf War, the 2003 US invasion, sectarian civil war, and the ISIS catastrophe. The sectarian dynamics, particularly between Sunni and Shi'a communities, have significantly influenced Iraq's political landscape and social fabric, shaping both internal conflicts and external relations. Najaf and Karbala remain the holiest cities of Shi'a Islam, making Iraq central to the Sunni-Shi'a geopolitical equation.