Iraq History and Culture

In southern Mesopotamia, the Sumerians built the world's first cities, Uruk, Ur and Eridu, around 4000 to 3000 BC. They invented cuneiform writing, the wheel used in transport, the 60-minute hour and the epic of Gilgamesh, the oldest great work of literature. The ziggurat of Ur still rises from the plain.

The Akkadians created one of the first empires, and Babylon, under Hammurabi, issued one of the earliest written law codes. Assyria built palaces at Nimrud, Nineveh and Ashur lined with carved reliefs, and Nebuchadnezzar II made Babylon the most splendid city of its age, with the blue-glazed Ishtar Gate and the legendary Hanging Gardens. Persian, Hellenistic and Parthian eras followed; the desert city of Hatra is a striking survivor.

In 762 the Abbasid caliph al-Mansur founded Baghdad, the Round City, and for centuries it was the intellectual capital of the world, home to the House of Wisdom where scholars translated and advanced mathematics, astronomy and medicine. Samarra's spiral minaret dates from this golden age. Later eras brought Ottoman administration, a monarchy from 1921 and the modern republic. Today Iraq is investing in its Development Road and in restoring its heritage. Read about the Islamic Golden Age and the regional timeline.

The Iraqi maqam, a refined vocal tradition rooted in classical Arabic poetry, is recognized by UNESCO, and the oud has deep roots here; Baghdad has produced many of the Arab world's great players. Iraqi poets such as al-Mutanabbi in the classical age and Badr Shakir al-Sayyab in modern times shaped Arabic literature, and Baghdad's al-Mutanabbi Street, lined with booksellers, comes alive every Friday.

Modern Iraqi artists and architects have achieved international fame; Zaha Hadid, born in Baghdad, became the first woman to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize. Traditional crafts include copperwork in Baghdad's Souq al-Safafeer and fine Kurdish carpets. Explore Arabic calligraphy and language and the region's music traditions.

The oldest known recipes, written in cuneiform, come from Mesopotamia. The 360-degree circle and the 60-minute hour come from Sumerian mathematics. Many of Scheherazade's tales in the Thousand and One Nights are set in Abbasid Baghdad. Discover more with our Iraq heritage travel guide and our page on Erbil and its citadel.