Culture and history

Iraq is the heir of Mesopotamia, where cities, writing and the first codes originated; Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian and Babylonian kingdoms left epics, ziggurats and astronomical knowledge.

During the Abbasid era, Baghdad became a center of science and art, forming Arab-Islamic scholarship.

The modern cultural fabric is multinational: Arabs and Kurds, Turkmen, Assyrians, Armenians; Shiites and Sunnis, Yazidis, Christians preserve rituals, holidays and shrines (from Arbain in Karbala to Nowruz in Kurdistan).

The musical tradition of "Iraqi makam," oud and poetry continue to live along with crafts (carpets, inlay, ceramics).

The kitchen relies on rice, dates, musguf fish and fragrant spices; hospitality and tea/kava are part of everyday etiquette.

The 20th-21st centuries brought wars, sanctions and migration, but also the revival of museums, literature and cinema, street art and new festivals: the cultural scene balances between preserving heritage and finding a modern voice.