Home
Subject list
Iraq
Iraq
|
4000 BC |
The oldest artifacts of the Mesopotamian city of Ur dated to about this time. Links: Iraq, Mesopotamia, HistoryBC 
|
||
|
3000 BC |
The earliest 6-sided dice date to about this time from a site in northern Iraq. Links: Iraq, Games, HistoryBC
|
||
|
2750 BC |
Gilgamesh, a Sumerian King, ruled the city of Uruk (Babylonia) about this time, which had grown to a population of over 50,000. Gilgamesh was the subject of many epics, including the Sumerian "Gilgamesh and Enkidu in the Nether World" and the Babylonian "Epic of Gilgamesh." In 1844 Westerners discovered an epic poem based on Gilgamesh on stone fragments in Mosul, Iraq. In 1853 clay tablets inscribed with the tale were found in Nineveh, the former capital of Assyria. 5 Sumerian versions were later acknowledged. George Smith completed his translation of the Epic in 1874. In 2004 Stephen Mitchell published “Gilgamesh: A New English Translation.” Derek Hines authored “Gilgamesh.” Links: Babylon, Iraq, Britain, Assyria
|
||
|
2500 BC |
A queen named Shubad died about this time in the city of Ur in Mesopotamia. She was buried with a staggering amount of personal property later uncovered by English archeologist Charles Leonard Woolley. Links: Iraq, Mesopotamia, HistoryBC, Archeology
|
||
|
2300 BC |
Akkadian armies conquered Nagar about this time. Links: Iraq, Syria, HistoryBC
|
||
We offer additional services to help you as well including
tax attorney help with tax relief issues,
auto accident attorney services, and
sustainable development information to research going green!
| |||
|
2200 BC |
A statue of the Sumerian king Entemena of Lagash was made about this time. The head was later lost and in 2003 the remaining body was looted after the fall of Baghdad. In 2006 it was returned to Iraq’s National Museum. Links: Iraq, Assyria, HistoryBC
|
||
|
2058 BC |
Dungi was the king of the Mesopotamian city of Ur. Links: Iraq, Mesopotamia, HistoryBC
|
||
|
2005 BC |
Bur-Sin ruled as the king of Ur. Links: Iraq, Mesopotamia, HistoryBC
|
||
|
1792 BC 1750 BC |
Hammurabi, king of Babylon, established a code of laws during this period that became known as the Code of Hammurabi. They were inscribed on a basalt column, later found at Susa, Iran. One of the laws was that if a married woman was caught lying with another man, both should be bound and thrown into the river. Links: Babylon, Iraq, Iran
|
||
|
1700 BC |
A Larsa king ruled Ur about this time. Links: Iraq, Mesopotamia, HistoryBC
|
||
| |||
|
1400 BC |
This was the Kassite period of the Mesopotamian city of Ur. Links: Iraq, Mesopotamia, HistoryBC
|
||
|
650 BC |
Nabonidas, the last ruler of Ur, made extensive renovations to the ziggurat there. His daughter, princess Bel-Shalti-Nannar, maintained a museum of local antiquities. Links: Iraq, Mesopotamia, HistoryBC
|
||
|
605 BC 562 BC |
Nebuchadnezzar II ruled in Babylon. He undertook some monumental building projects that included the Hanging Gardens. The New Babylonian Revival used glazed bricks for building thereby creating a colorful city. The king was fond of spinach. Links: Babylon, Iraq, HistoryBC
|
||
|
632 661 |
The Rashidun Caliphate, also known as the Rightly Guided Caliphate, comprising the first four caliphs in Islam's history, was founded after Muhammad's death. At its height, the Caliphate extended from the Arabian Peninsula, to the Levant, Caucasus and North Africa in the west, to the Iranian highlands and Central Asia in the east. It was the one of the largest empires in history up until that time. Links: Azerbaijan, Qatar, UAR, Armenia, Iraq, Turkey, Pakistan, Cyprus, Libya, Iran, Egypt, Israel, Palestine, Syria, Sudan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, Afghan, Tunisia, Islam
|
||
|
661 Jan 27 |
Ali ibn Abu Talib, caliph of Islam (656-61), was murdered in Kufa, Iraq. Caliph Ali, son-in-law of Mohammed, was assassinated and his followers (Shiites) broke from the majority Muslim group. A member of the anarchist sect of Kharajites assassinated Ali. This sect believed that there are no verdict’s but God’s. Links: Iraq, Islam, Assassin
|
||
|
680 Oct 10 |
Imam Hussein, grandson of prophet Mohammed, was beheaded. He was killed by rival Muslim forces on the Karbala plain in modern day Iraq. He then became a saint to Shiite Muslims. Traditionalists and radical guerrillas alike commemorate his martyrdom as the ceremony of Ashura. The 10-day mourning period during the holy month of Muharram commemorates the deaths of Caliph Ali’s male relatives by Sunnis from Iraq. Shiites went on to believe that new leaders should be descendants of Mohammad and Ali. Sunnis went on to vest power in a body of Muslim scholars called the ulema. Links: Iraq, Persia, Islam
|
||
|
700 900 |
The Hadith, the main guide for Muslims in interpreting the Koran, were evaluated and gathered into large collections mostly during the reign of Umar ibn AbdulAziz during the 8th and 9th centuries. Links: Azerbaijan, Qatar, UAR, Armenia, Iraq, Turkey, Pakistan, Cyprus, Libya, Iran, Egypt, Israel, Palestine, Syria, Sudan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, Afghan, Tunisia, Islam
|
||
|
762 Jul 30 |
A Persian astrologer, selected by caliph al-Mansur (the Victorious), selected this day as propitious for breaking ground for the city of Baghdad. Al-Mansur was one of the founders of the Abassid dynasty. Links: Iraq, Persia
|
||
|
770 |
The Syrian Orthodox Church of St. Thomas (Mar Toma) was built in Mosul. Links: Iraq, Persia, Syria
|
||
|
776 |
Al-Jahiz (d.868), Muslim theologian and scholar, was born in Basra about this time. He is credited with writing nearly two hundred works, although fewer than one hundred survive today. His most famous work is Al-Hayawan” (The Book of animals), which merges discussions of zoology with philosophy. Links: Babylon, Iraq, Persia, Animal, Islam
|
||
| |||
|
799 |
Imam Musa ibn Jaafar al-Kadhim (55), one of the 12 principle Shiite saints, died from poisoning in Baghdad. Links: Iraq
|
||
|
836 |
Caliph al-Mutasim built a new capital at Samarra to replace Baghdad as the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate. It was abandoned by Caliph al-Mutamid in 892. Links: Iraq, Persia
|
||
|
855 |
Ahmad ibn Hanbal (b.780), Muslim scholar, died in Iraq. He is considered the founder of the 4th school of Sunni Islam. The four schools of Sunni Islam include: a) The Hanafi school, named after Imam Abu Hanifa, predominates in the territories formerly under the Ottoman Empire and in Muslim India and Pakistan; it relies heavily on consensus and analogical reasoning in addition to the Quran and sunna. B) The Maliki school, named after Malik ibn Anas, is dominant in upper Egypt and West Africa; developed in Medina, it emphasizes use of hadith (sayings or acts) that were current in the Prophet's city. C) The school of Muhammad ibn Idris ash Shafii, prevailing in Indonesia, stresses reasoning by analogy. D) The fourth legal school is that of Ahmad ibn Hanbal, which is the school adhered to in Saudi Arabia. Links: Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Islam
|
||
|
868 |
The 10th imam, Ali al-Hadi, died. His remains were placed in the Askariya shrine in Samarra (Persia-Iraq). Links: Iraq, Persia, Islam
|
||
|
874 |
The 11th imam, Hassan al-Askari, son of Ali al-Hadi, died. His remains were also placed in the Askariya shrine in Samarra (Persia-Iraq). Hassan al-Askari was the father of Al-Mahdi, the hidden imam. Links: Iraq, Persia, Islam
|
||
We offer additional services to help you as well including
tax attorney help with tax relief issues,
auto accident attorney services, and
sustainable development information to research going green!
| |||
|
889 |
Ibn Qutayba (b.828), a renowned Islamic scholar from Kufa, Iraq, died. Links: Iraq, Persia, Islam
|
||
|
892 |
Caliph al-Mutamid abandoned Samarra, established in 836, as the capital of the Abassid Caliphate. Links: Iraq, Persia
|
||
|
945 |
The Buyids (Buwayhids) came to power in Baghdad. They were ousted by the Seljuks in 1055 under Tughril Beg. Links: Iraq, Persia
|
||
|
1055 |
The Seljuks under Tughril Beg ousted the Buyids (Buwayhids) in Baghdad. The nomadic Turks from Central Asia, descended from a warrior named Seljuk, took control of the government and continued governing the empire in the tradition of Islamic law. Links: Iraq, Turkey, Persia
|
||
|
1167 |
Genghis Khan (d.1227) was born in the Hentiyn Nuruu mountains north of Ulan Bator in the early 1160's (it has been argued between 1162 and 1167, but recently agreement has been made for 1167), the son of the Kiyat-Borjigid chieftain Yisugei. His given name was Temujin, "the ironsmith," and he seized control over much of 5 million square miles that covered China, Iran, Iraq, Burma, Vietnam, and most of Korea and Russia. His efforts in Vietnam were not successful. "In Search of Genghis Khan" is a book by Tim Severin. He was succeeded by his son Ogedai, who was succeeded by Guyuk. Ogedai ignored numerous pleas from his brother Chaghatai to cut down on his drinking and died of alcoholism as did Guyuk. Links: Iraq, Russia, China, Vietnam, Korea, Mongolia, Iran, Myanmar, Biography
|
||
| |||
|
1227 1234 |
The Madrassa al Mustansirija was constructed in Baghdad by the Caliph al Mustansir. It became world epicenter of medical sciences and also taught theology, mathematics, jurisprudence, astrology and other subjects. Links: Iraq, Math, Medical, Education
|
||
|
1258 Feb 10 |
Huegu (Hulega Khan), a Mongol leader and grandson of Genghis Khan, seized Baghdad following a 4-day assault. Mongol invaders from Central Asia took over Baghdad and ended the Abbasid-Seljuk Empire. They included Uzbeks, Kazaks, Georgians and other groups. Some 200 to 800 thousand people were killed and looting lasted 17 days. Links: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Georgia, Mongolia, Iran, Persia
|
||
|
1546 |
Basra (Iraq) was captured by the Ottoman Empire. Links: Iraq, Turkey
|
||
|
1801 Apr 21 |
Saudi Arabs led Sunni raids into Karbala, Iraq, killing about 5,000 people. Links: Iraq, Saudi Arabia
|
||
|
1806 Apr 21 |
Saudi Arabs led Sunni raids into Najaf, Iraq, killing about 5,000 people. Links: Iraq, Saudi Arabia
|
||
|
1807 |
Saud al-Saud invaded Karbala, Iraq, for the second time in 1807, but he could not occupy it. Links: Iraq, Saudi Arabia
|
||
|
1853 |
Hormuzd Rassam (1826-1910), Mosul-born Assyrian, and Sir Austen Henry Layard (1817-1894), British archeologist, uncovered ancient Assyrian tablets at Nineveh (Iraq). Layard published his paper on Assyrian-Egyptian Cross-Dating. By using seal-impressions of rulers occurring on the same piece of clay, Layard was able to assign a date to the Assyrian dynasty because the Egyptian ruler’s reign was firmly dated. Links: Iraq, Britain, Egypt, Assyria
|
||
|
1873 Mar 2 |
George Smith, British Assyriologist, arrived at the ruins of Nineveh outside Mosul (Iraq). Over the next few weeks he found tablets referring to more pieces of the Gilgamesh story, a record of kings in the Babylonian dynasties, as well as lists of cuneiform symbols. Links: Babylon, Iraq, Britain, Assyria
|
||
|
1873 Nov |
George Smith, British Assyriologist, departed England for a 2nd trip to the ruins of Nineveh. His 7-month trip yielded thousands of fragments that provided a more complete version of the Epic of Gilgamesh, whose main character was Sumerian king who lived around 2700 BC. Links: Iraq, Britain, Assyria
|
||
|
1879 |
The clay Cyrus cylinder, covered in Babylonian cuneiform script, was uncovered in Iraq. Links: Babylon, Iraq, Persia
|
||
| |||
|
1922 Jan |
The Iraqi state police force was founded. Links: Iraq
|
||
|
1922 Nov 2 |
English archeologist Charles Leonard Woolley began excavating the ancient Mesopotamian city of Ur, located between Baghdad and the Persian Gulf. Links: Iraq, Britain, Mesopotamia, Archeology
|
||
|
1923 Jul 24 |
The Treaty of Lausanne, which settled the boundaries of modern Greece and Turkey, was concluded in Switzerland. It replaced the Treaty of Sevres and divided the lands inhabited by the Kurds between Turkey, Iraq and Syria. Article 39 allowed Turkish nationals to use any language they wished in commerce, public and private meetings, and publications. The treaty specifically protected the rights of the Armenian, Greek and Jewish communities. The former provinces of Baghdad, Basra and Mosul were lumped together to form Iraq. Both countries agreed to a massive exchange of religious minorities. Christians were deported from Turkey to Greece and Muslims from Greece to Turkey. A Muslim community of at least 100,000 was allowed in northern Greece. In 2006 Bruce Clark authored “Twice a Stranger: The Mass Expulsions that Forged Modern Greece and Turkey.” Links: Armenia, Iraq, Turkey, Switzerland, Syria, Jews, Kurds
|
||
|
1923 |
Iraq's Department of Antiquities was established along with Baghdad’s Iraq Museum. Links: Iraq, Museum
|
||
|
1925 |
The golden dome of the Askariya shrine in Samarra, Iraq, was completed. Links: Iraq, Architect
|
||
We offer additional services to help you as well including
tax attorney help with tax relief issues,
auto accident attorney services, and
sustainable development information to research going green!
| |||
|
1926 Jul 12 |
Gertrude Bell (b.1868), British archeologist and intelligence officer, died in Baghdad. From 1900 to 1913 she journeyed some 20,000 miles from Istanbul to the Syrian desert and on to Iraq. In 2006 Georgina Howell authored ”Daughter of the Desert: The Remarkable Life of Gertrude Bell.” Links: Iraq, Britain, Biography, Espionage
|
||
|
1927 Jun |
Oil was discovered near Kirkuk, Iraq, the 1st commercial find in any Arab country. BP was a shareholder in the Iraqi Petroleum Company when it started drilling Iraq's first oil well at Baba Gurgur just north of the oil-rich province of Kirkuk. Links: Iraq, Oil
|
||
|
1931 |
The Iraqi Air Force was founded. It was later considered the best in the Arab world battling the British in 1941 and Israel in 1948 and 1967. Links: Iraq
|
||
|
1936 |
Agatha Christie authored her novel “Murder in Mesopotamia.” During the 1930s she accompanied her husband Max Mallowan, British archeologist, on excavations in southern Iraq and later wrote an account of their work titled “Come Tell Me How You Live” (1946). Links: Iraq, Britain, Writer, Books, Archeology
|
||
|
1941 Jun 1 |
British troops occupied Baghdad, Iraq. Links: Iraq, Britain
|
||
| |||
|
1944 Oct 30 |
Ahmad Chalabi, founding head of Jordan’s Petra Bank (1977), was born in Iraq. His family left in 1956 and he spent most of his left in the US and Great Britain. In 1969 he received a Ph.D. in mathematics from the Univ. of Chicago. Links: Iraq, Banking
|
||
|
1956 Nov 22 |
Melbourne, Australia, hosted this summer’s 16th Olympiad. 65 countries and 4,276 athletes competed. Closing ceremonies were held on Dec 8. The Netherlands and Spain withdrew from the Olympics in support of Hungary following Russia’s invasion. 45 athletes from Hungary defected during the games. Egypt, Lebanon and Iraq boycotted the games in protest over British and French actions over the Suez Canal. China boycotted protesting the inclusion of athletes from Taiwan. Links: Australia, Iraq, Russia, Spain, China, Taiwan, Hungary, Netherlands, Egypt, Olympics, Lebanon
|
||
|
1957 |
Iraq commissioned Le Corbusier to design the Baghdad Gymnasium as a small part of a planned Olympic city. It was only completed in 1982, under the rule of Saddam Hussein, under the guidance of Georges-Marc Presente, an associate of Le Corbusier, who ensured the strict application of the designer's clean, industrial, modernist principles. Links: Iraq, Architect
|
||
|
1957 |
Iraqi Shiite scholar Mohammed Baqr al Sadr founded the Daawa movement. Links: Iraq
|
||
|
1959 Oct 7 |
Saddam Hussein participated in a Baath team that ambushed Iraqi strongman Abdel-Karim Kassem in Baghdad, wounding him. Saddam, wounded in leg, fled country. Links: Iraq
|
||
|
1960 Sep 14 |
Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela formed OPEC. Fuad Rouhani (1907-2004) of Iran served as its 1st secretary-general. In 1964 he was succeeded by Abdul Rahman Bazzaz of Iraq. Links: Iraq, Venezuela, Oil, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, OPEC
|
||
|
1961 Jul 1 |
British troops landed in Kuwait to aid against Iraqi threats. Links: Iraq, Britain, Kuwait
|
||
|
1965 |
The People’s Mujahedeen of Iran (PMOI) was founded as a youthful underground opposition to the Shah. The group was also known as the Mujahedeen-d Khalq Organization (MEK of MKO). Its leader Massoud Rajavi fled to France in 1981 and then relocated with his followers to Iraq in 1986, where Saddam Hussein gave them a big base at Camp Ashraf. Links: Iraq, Iran
|
||
|
1968 Jul 17 |
The Arab Socialist Baath Party staged a bloodless coup in Iraq and gained control as the Revolution Command Council. Abdul Rahman Arif, brother of Abdul Salam Arif (d.1966), was ousted in the Baathist coup and exiled to Istanbul. Ahmed Hasan-al-Bakr became president of Iraq after the July 17 coup. This became a national holiday until it was abolished in 2003. Saddam Hussein soon became recognized as the strongman of the regime. Links: Iraq
|
||
|
1968 Jul 30 |
Saddam Hussein took charge of internal security services in Iraq. Links: Iraq
|
||
| |||
