History and Culture

History (29 March 2006) (29 March 2006)
Iraq has a long and fascinating history, stretching back to the dawn of civilisation.
- Al-Bab Iraq History Site
  An index of links to sites relevant to the history of Iraq. Maintained by the "Arab Gateway" site (www.Al-Bab.com)
- Wikipedia Iraq History Site
  An overview from prehistory to the present in the region of the current state of Iraq
- Ancient History
  - British Museum Mesopotamia Site
    A well illustrated site dedicated focusing on the Mesopotanian civilisations of Sumer, Babylonia and Assyria
  - Encarta Mesopotamia Site
    A brief introduction to the history of Mesopotamia
  - Library of Congress Country Studies: Mesopotamia Page
    A page on the history of ancient Mesopotamia in the Iraq section of the United States Library of Congress Country Studies Site
  - The Code of Hammurabi
    Translated by L.W. King
  - The Epic of Gilgamesh
    Discussion of the Epic of Gilgamesh by the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), a part of the University of London. The Epic of Gilgamesh is thought to be the oldest written story that has survived to the present day
  - The World's First Armies
    An analysis of the armies of the armies of Sumer and Akkad, 3500-2200 BC. A part of "A Short History of War" from the US Air Force Air University site
  - Translations of Key Mesopotamian Texts
    Translations of some ancient Mesopotamian texts including the Epic of Gilgamesh, which is thought to be the oldest written story to have survived until the present day
  - Wikipedia Mesopotamia Site
    A brief introduction to the history of Mesopotamia
  - World History Centre: Mesopotamia Site
    The World History Centre's Site on Mesopotamian history
  - WSU Mesopotamia Resource Centre
    An interesting Mesopotamia resourse centre run by Washington State University, providing information on a wide variety of topics
  - The Invention of Writing
    - Sumerian Language Page
      A site dedicated to the Sumerian language. Contains a long list of links to other Mesopotamia related sites. Maintained by "Ancient Scripts", a site dedicated to the writing systems developed in antiquity
    - Sumerian: The Invention of Writing
      This page explores the development of the Sumerian script - the worlds earliest known writing system. Maintained by "Ancient Scripts", a site dedicated to the writing systems developed in antiquity
    - The Development of Writing: Timeline
      A timeline of the development and common useage of writing scripts across the world
    - The History of Writing
      An introduction to the history of writing, including a section on the cuneiform script developed in Sumer. Maintained by HistoryWorld
Archaeological Heritage
Iraq's archaeology, both sites and artefacts, is a treasure for the whole world. The links below give an introduction to the online resources that describe this heritage.
- Archive of archaeological site photographs from Mesopotamia
  Maintained by the Oriental Institute, University of Chicago.
- Artefacts from Iraq in the British Museum
  Images of objects from the British Museum Iraq collections, chosen because they are similar to objects looted or damaged in the Iraq Museum, Baghdad.
- British School of Archaeology in Iraq
  The British School of Archaeology in Iraq is the only body in Britain devoted to research into the ancient civilizations and languages of Mesopotamia. It is currently devoting its resources to assisting in the rebuilding of Iraq’s heritage.
  
  The website includes details of events, fieldwork, grants, and publications, plus a useful collection of links.
- Digitizing Kish
  The Chicago Field Museum is embarking on a two-year project that could help bridge cultural and scientific barriers exacerbated by the Iraq war. With the support of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the museum recently began to study, catalogue and reconcile the scattered but priceless collections of materials from the famous 5,000-year-old archaeological site of Kish, 50 miles south of Baghdad. Kish is one of the world's oldest cities and site of the earliest evidence of wheeled transport.
- Excavations at Nimrud
  From the Metropolitan Museum, New York.
- Hatra: UNESCO World Heritage site
  The University of Chicago Oriental Institute has a collection of photos of the site. In September 2004 the Archaeological Institute of America expressed concern that US military action was threatening the site.
- Information about Iraqi Museums Collections
  From The International Council of Museums. Lists of museums with Iraq collections. Also bibliographical information.
- Iraq Museum International
- Mesopotamia resources
  From the Oriental Institute, University of Chicago.
- The Northwest Palace of Ashur-nasir-pal II at Nimrud
  From Learning Sites.inc
- UNESCO and Iraq
- Theft and Damage
  Iraq's amazing archaeological heritage suffered badly under sanctions, and things got much worse during the invasion and subsequent lawlessness. These links give an indication of the scale of the looting and damage, and an introduction to international efforts to trace stolen artefacts.
  - An Archaeologist's Weblog
    Very useful, academically-orientated site maintained by Francis Deblauwe.
  - Assessment of damage to Libraries and Archives in Iraq (May 2003)
    By Graham Shaw at the British Library.
  - British Museum Iraq Crisis webpages
    Useful site including images, links, and further reading. The BM has been very concerned about the fate of Iraq's archaeological heritage.
  - Emergency Red List of Iraqi Antiquities at Risk
  - Interpol's Stolen Works of Art page
  - IraqCrisis email list
    A moderated list for communicating substantive information on cultural property damaged, destroyed or lost from Libraries and Museums in Iraq during and after the war in April 2003, and on the worldwide response to the crisis.
  - Lost Treasures From Iraq
    A database at the Oriental Institute, University of Chicago.
  - SAFE
    New York based coalition of academics and archaeologists working together with professionals in advertising and publicity to raise awareness about the world's endangered cultural heritage.
  - The 2003- Iraq War & Archaeology
    Maintained by archaeologist Francis Deblauwe.
    
    See also An Archaeologist's Weblog.
  - The Illicit Antiquities Research Centre
    At the University of Cambridge.
  - The threat to world heritage in Iraq
    News and information during February to May 2003.
  - UNESCO Crisis in Iraq
  - News reports
    - BBC News: 'US troops damage ancient Babylon' (15 Jan 2005)
      BBC News report: 'Coalition forces in Iraq have caused irreparable damage to the ancient city of Babylon, the British Museum says.'
    - An Archaeologist's Weblog
      Very useful, academically-orientated site maintained by Francis Deblauwe.
    - The Independent: 'At least 8,000 treasures looted from Iraq museum still untraced' (24 May 2005)
      UK national daily newspaper The Independent reports that at least 8000 of the 15000 items looted from the Iraq National Museum in Baghdad still have not been retrieved.
Culture
These are sites which focus on modern Iraq and Iraqi communities in exile.
- Culture For All
  Has a large number of projects in and to do with Iraq.
- Faisal Faisal
  Official website of Faisal Faisal, Iraq's hopeful for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino.
- International Network for Iraqi Contemporary Artists
- Iraq.net
  'a small effort towards bringing Iraqis and non-Iraqis around the globe, to one place. To share ideas, conduct business, discuss Iraqi concerns, meet old friends, make new ones or simply ... just to hang out.'
- iraq4u.com
  'This site is for all Iraqi people, regardless of ethnic, religious or political background. Although we recognize all religions, ethnicity and political views in Iraq, we prefer not to indulge in religious and political discussions; but rather focus on Iraq's culture, people and art, something we all love and miss dearly.'
- Iraqi Community Association
  For Iraqis living in the UK.
- Iraqi Cookbook
  Selected recipes and a discussion of Iraqi cuisine from the cookbook "Delights from the Garden of Eden"
- Iraqi Cooking
  Recipes for some Iraqi dishes
- iraqiart.com
  Includes home pages of Iraqi artists, folk song lyrics, callligraphy, poetry and more.
- iraqimusic.com
- Iraqis: their history and culture
  Basic information on the land, people, social structure, language, history etc. From www.culturalorientation.net
- National Association of British Arabs
  Also periodic newsletters on selected Iraq issues.
Maps
- UN Iraq map center (2003)
  Set of maps provided by the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq. Contains both geographic maps (including plans of many Iraqi towns), and thematic maps which show the distribution of food, water, fuel, population, etc.
- List of maps of Iraq on the web
  From al-bab.com.
- University of Texas Iraq map collection
Religion
No study of Iraq can be complete without an understanding of the various religons that inspire millions of Iraqis
- Islam
  - Al-Ghazali.org
    A site dedicated to the life and works of Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali. Ghazali was one of the great jurists, theologians and mystics of the 12th Century and is one of the most famous religious scholars in Islamic history
  - Islam.com
    A useful web directory linking to many Islam related sites
  - IslamWorld
    A lrage site, exploring Islam and related issues. Contains an introduction to Islam, translations of the Qu'ran, translations of selected Hadith and articles on various religous themes
  - The Noble Qu'ran
    A useful Qu'ran site maintained by the University of Southern California. The site allows searches of the Qu'ranic text, however the highlight is the translation - three English translations are given for each verse (by Yusuf-Ali, Pickthall and Shakir).
  - Wikipedia Ghazali Site
    Wikipedia's site on Al-Ghazali, one of the most famous religious scholars in Islamic history
  - Wikipedia Islam site
    Wikipedia's pages on Islam
  - Shia Islam
    - Al-Islam.org
      A site exploiring Shia Islam
    - Al-Mizan: A Discussion of the Qu'ran by Allamah Tabatabai
      Al-Mizan was Allamah Tabatabai's seminal work - a Tafsir (exegesis) of the Qu'ran, noted for its focus on analysing the Qu'ranic verses by comparison with other parts of the Qu'ran, as opposed to a focus on analysis based upon the Hadith or Tradditions. The original work is in Arabic, and there is an ongoing effort to translate the whole work into English. Allamah Tabatabai was one of the most respected Shia scholars of the twentieth century
    - Ali the Magnificent (AS)
      A site dedicated as a tribute to Imam Ali (AS)
    - Aushura.com
      A site dedicated to Imam Husain (AS) and his martyrdom at Karbala
    - Shia by Allamah Tabatabai
      An online translation of the well known exposition on Shi'ism by one of the most respected Shia scholars of the twentieth century
    - Shia.org
      A site exploring many aspects of Shia Islam
    - The Ahlul-Bayt Islamic Mission (AIM)
      A site exploring Shia Islam
    - Web directory of Shia sites
      A web directory of Shia sites from Karbala.com
    - Wikipedia Shi'ism site
      Wikipedia's pages on Shia Islam
    - Ya Fatima (AS)
      A site dedicated to Hazrat Fatima (AS), the daughter if the Prophet Muhammad (AS)
Sanctions
Economic sanctions were imposed on Iraq by the United Nations Security Council in 1990. They were lifted after the US-led invasion in 2003. The CASI website (Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq/Cambridge Solidarity with Iraq) has lots of information and links.
Travel Guides
- Iraq: The Bradt Travel Guide
  (By Karen Dabrowska, 2002).