Iraq Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Iraq appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 21 different states, among them Ottoman Empire, Iraq, Mesopotamia (GB), Seleucid Kingdom, Parthian Empire.
IraqExplore the history of Iraq in the interactive map
Compare 1000 with today · Iraq as a state on the map
Who ruled the land of Iraq, map by map
Share of sample points inside today's borders held by each state on each map. Areas with no organised state on the map are left out.
Historic cities in Iraq
Famous people of Iraq
| Lived | Person | |
|---|---|---|
| c. 1810 BC – 1750 BC | Hammurabi | King of Babylon |
| c. 685 BC – 631 BC | Ashurbanipal | King of Assyria |
| c. 634 BC – 562 BC | Nebuchadnezzar II | King of Babylon |
| c. 600 BC – 530 BC | Cyrus the Great | Founder of the Achaemenid Persian Empire |
| 550 BC – 486 BC | Darius I | King of Persia |
| 356 BC – 323 BC | Alexander the Great | King of Macedon |
| c. AD 763 – AD 809 | Harun al-Rashid | Abbasid caliph |
| c. AD 780 – AD 850 | al-Khwarizmi | Mathematician |
| 1137 – 1193 | Saladin | Sultan of Egypt and Syria |
| c. 1210 – 1291 | Saadi | Poet |
Battles and historic sites
| Year | Battle or site |
|---|---|
| 331 BC | Battle of Gaugamela |
| AD 636 | Battle of al-Qadisiyyah |
| AD 680 | Battle of Karbala |
Landmarks
BabylonRuins · 575 BC
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Iraq?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Iraq belonged to Ottoman Empire, Iraq, Mesopotamia (GB), Seleucid Kingdom, Parthian Empire, Abbasid Caliphate, along with 15 other states.
What was Iraq part of in 1000?
On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's Iraq lay within Buwayhid Emirates.
What was Iraq part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Iraq lay within Emirate of the White Sheep Turks.
What was Iraq part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Iraq lay within Ottoman Empire.
Further reading
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.