Iraq: The Unholy Marriage of Adversaries

The Ottoman Empire’s rule over Iraq extended from the mid-16th century until the end of the First World War. A fertile land with two major rivers, the Euphrates and Tigris, it was regarded as a jewel in the crown of every Empire. Before the Ottomans, the area currently known as Iraq was the centre of the Abbasid Caliphate which thrived on taxation levied on trade and agriculture. The fame of the Abbasid receded gradually as its military might was weakened by a combination of internal and external factors which culminated in its demise at the hands of the Mongols in 1258. Iraq was conquered by the Ottomans in 1535 and until 1916, with the exception of a relatively brief period of Iranian Safavid rule between 1623 and 1638, Iraq remained an important part of the Ottoman Empire. However, during the Ottoman occupation Iraq had already lost its economic significance and reputation as the centre of Islamic studies, art and scholarly activities. Its population dwindled due to various invasions and diseases, its irrigation canal networks were ruined and city centres became dilapidated.