Uruklink

Mecca is a city in Saudi Arabia and the most important city to Muslims. The reason for that is that the prophet Muhammad proclaimed Islam there in the 7th century. He preached to the people of Mecca just to pray to Allah and to convert to Islam. He and his followers emigrated to Medina in 622 because of persecution.

The pilgrimage to Mecca, called Hajj, is one of the 5 pillars of Islam and it says that every muslim who is able and can afford must make the pilgrimage for at least once in the lifetime. Therefore, millions of pilgrims come to Mecca each year. Most Pilgrims want to see the Kaaba.

The Kaaba is the most sacred site in Islam, a building shaped like a cube regarded as the first house built on earth. During their daily prayers, all Muslims face the Kaaba , no matter where around the world they are.

The Hajj is forbidden to non-Muslims. The Kaaba is found in the Masjid al-Haram, the largest mosque in the world. This mosque is also known as the Grand Mosque or Haram.

Al-Thawrah is a city in Syria. It is located about 55 km west of Al-Raqqah. The city was built near the Tabaqah Dam on the Euphrates. The name “Al-Thawrah” can be translated as “the revolution” and refers to the March 8th revolution. 65,000 people live in Al-Thawrah.

The Tabaqa Dam or al-Thawra Dam is a dam made of compacted earth on the Euphrates near the city of Ar-Raqqah. The dam is with 60 m height and 4.5 km length Syria’s largest dam. Through its construction, Lake Assad was formed which is Syria’s largest water reservoir. The dam was finished in the year 1973.

The Euphrates was used to fill the lake behind the dam in 1975 which led to a dispute between Syria and Iraq. Iraq complained about receiving less water from the Euphrates than normal and asked the Arab League to intervene. Iraq and Syria sent troops to their border, and Iraq even threatened to bomb the Dam.

In 1975, an agreement was reached and Syria increased the flow from the dam. The dam’s main purpose was to generate hydroelectric power.

Much of the infrastructure of Iraq was destroyed during the 2003 invasion. After June 28, 2004, Iraq-led governments were established and efforts were made to repair damaged Iraq’s water supply systems, electricity production, hospitals and buildings.

Much reconstruction work in local communities has been done by the Iraqi people using the resources they had. International assistance was a main topic of the Madrid Conference on Reconstruction held in Spain in October, 2003 with the attendance of 25 nations. The funds assembled there were primarily used to assist large-scale projects.

Some successes have been reached, but there are also new problems. The most serious are the lack of security, corruption, insufficient funding and not enough coordination between international agencies and local communities.

Mustansiriya Madrasah is one of the oldest Islamic buildings, primarily used for education, in the world. It was built in 1227 during the Abbasid period. Madrasah is the arabic word for any type of educational centre and is used to describe universities as well as schools.

The Mustansiriya Madrasah is a beautiful ancient building and can be found on the left bank of the Tigris River. It has been restored after the Mongul invasion. Mustansiriya Madrasah is one of Baghdad’s main sights for tourists.

In 1235, a water-powered alarm clock was completed in the entrance hall of the Mustansiriya Madrasah. It announces the time and especially the hours of prayer. That Clock is one of the earliest clocks working by day and by night.

The Al-Nahrain University is one the best universities in Iraq. It is located in the capital Baghdad and was established in 1987 under the name Saddam University. After the fall of Saddam Hussein, it has been renamed to Al-Nahrain University. “Al Nahrain” means The Two Rivers and refers to the Euphrates and the Tigris.

Al-Nahrain University has restrictive policies that allow only very intelligent students to attend in their courses. First, prospective students have to pass tests on different subjects. English and academic writing are always important part of the tests.

The university campus has two building complexes: the Al-Jadriya complex and the smaller one, Al-Khadhimya. The Al-Jadriya complex includes the Colleges of Engineering, Science, the Biotechnology Research Center and the Central Library. The Al-Khadhimya complex includes the Colleges of Medicine and Law.

Al-Qādisiyyah is an ancient city, located in Iraq, southwest of al-Hillah and al-Kūfah. It is known for the Battle of al-Qādisiyyah in 636, in which Arab-Muslim invaders defeat a larger army of the Sāsānian Empire.

The Arab Muslims who took part in the war became known as ‘’ahl al-Qādisiyyah’’. The end of the Sassanian rule in Iraq was the occupation of their capital Ctesiphon. The Siege of the city lasted for two months, before it was finally taken in March 637 A.D.

The Sassanids tried to regain the lost territory, but finally, their Empire ceased to exist with the death of its last emperor Yazdgerd III in 653. Al-Qādisiyyah was a small village before this war with not much of importance. After it, Al-Qādisiyyah grew in size and was an important stop along trading roads.

According to geologists, Iraq could be the country with the largest remaining reserves of oil in the world. Exploration showed reserves with about 350 billion barrels. Official statistics base on data gathered in 2001, because no official exploration has been done since military occupation started and may as well be wrong. International geologists estimate that the unexplored territory may even contain larger reserves.

Many former Iraq oil wells are not in use or have been destroyed during the long periods of war. Modernization and investment is needed. The estimated amount of money needed just to maintain current level of production is around $1 billion per year.

More of a thirn of long-term reconstruction will be needed by the oil, gas and electricity sectors. Iraq is estimated to possess enough oil for 158 years with the current production.

The Hands of Victory belong to the main sights in Baghdad. They are sometimes referred to as the Swords of Qādisīyah and consist of a pair of triumphal arches. Each arch is built by two hands holding swords which cross in the center.

The two arches are a memorial of the Iran-Iraq war. 1989, they were opened to the public and belong to Baghdad’s sights.

In February 2007, the new Iraqi government wanted to remove Symbols of the Saddam Era and the Hands of Victory had begun to be dismantled. Iraqi people were seen looting Iranian helmets and even small parts of the monument as souvenirs. U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad blocked the demolition of the monument.

Babylon was an ancient city-state in the time of Mesopotamia. Its ruins can be found in Al Hillah, Iraq.

Not much remains of the famous Babylon today, but a mound of broken mud-brick buildings. Babylon appears first in history at the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC. The city grew and gained importance with the first Babylonian Dynasty. It was the Capital of the Neo-Babylonian Empire from 612 to 539 BC.

Babylon’s Hanging Gardens were part of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. They were built by king Nebuchadnezzar II around 600 BC. He constructed the gardens for his persian wife who missed her homeland’s vegetation. Earthquakes destroyed the gardens in the 2nd century.

Saddam Hussein wanted to rebuild Babylon, but the restoration was simply done on top of the ancient ruins, which is the reason why artifacts often can be found under the city as of today. The provincial government of Babil reopened the site to tourism in 2009.

Because of the Ancient Mesopotamian civilizations, the cultural history of Iraq belongs to the world’s oldest. Iraq has famous poets, painters and sculptors which belong to the best in the Arab world.

Iraq is also known for the production of carpets. Architecture is best seen in Baghdad, where most of the buildings are rather new constructions, with some old buildings in between in excellent state.

In contradiction to other Arab countries, Iraq holds the achievements of its pre-Islamic past high. Once, the country known as Iraq today was the so-called Cradle of Civilization. Many important achievements of mankind where invented there, including the wheel and writing.

Important cultural institutions are the Iraqi National Orchestra and the National Theatre of Iraq. The live theatre scene grew rapidly during the 90s when foreign films were rare due to UN sanctions and import limitations. Today, around 30 movie theatres have been changed to live stages, producing a wide range of comedies and dramatic plays.