Is it the proper time to talk about Iraqi art amidst the turbulent Iraq passage toward new political and social metamorphoses? Absolutely, for nations were initially born through the original expressions of individual and shared feelings, ideas, concepts and ideologies transmitted and illustrated through the medium of music, poetry and art. Equally true is the survival of nations and the preservation of their heritage, history and national pride through art in all its forms and styles.

No country will ever survive if its art dies.

What’s left from the might and glorious past of Rome are not the centurions, the Roman saber or the military genius of Julius Cesar but, the temples, the frescoes, Via Apia, the Latin literature and the Roman law, in brief the Roman Art. What’s left from the illustrious history of the Egyptian civilization is not the military might of the Pharos, the bowed arch, the war chariots but, the pyramids of Gizah, the temples of Luxor, the art treasures, the tomb paintings and unsurpassed ancient Egyptian architecture. In other words, the Egyptian Art. What’s left from the fabulous Hellenistic culture and history is not the formidable “Water Fire” of their mighty naval forces, the swords and shields of the Macedonians or the strategic genius of Alexander the Great but, the glorious temples of Athina, the Pantheons, the teachings of Sophocles, Aristotle, the superb Greek statues, and the magnificent Greek frescoes. In short, the Greek Art! Thus, it is always proper and necessary to talk about art, to nourish art and to protect art in order to revive and preserve a nation. Art is an immortal human necessity. If art never existed, humanity would have not lasted throughout centuries. Politicians, strategists, diplomats and urban architects are working on re-building Iraq. And that’s is fine. But, without preserving the modern art of Iraq, this glorious country will never survive. I hope the present work will shed light on the glorious artistic heritage of Iraq, the good nature of the Iraqis, the nobility of their traditions and unsurpassed contributions to the world civilization and Western modern thought.

People: Almost 75% of Iraq's population live in the flat, alluvial plain stretching southeast toward Baghdad and Basrah to the Persian Gulf. The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers carry about 70 million cubic meters of silt annually to the delta. Known in ancient times as Mesopotamia, the region is the legendary locale of the Garden of Eden. The ruins of Ur, Babylon, and other ancient cities are here. Iraq's two largest ethnic groups are Arabs and Kurds. Other distinct groups are Turkomans, Chaldeans, Assyrians, Iranians, Lurs, and Armenians. Arabic is the most commonly spoken language. Kurdish is spoken in the north, and English is the most commonly spoken Western language. Most Iraqi Muslims are members of the Shi'a sect, but there is a large Sunni population as well, made up of both Arabs and Kurds. Small communities of Christians, Mandaeans, and Yezidis also exist. Most Kurds are Sunni Muslim but differ from their Arab neighbors in language, dress, and customs.

The article continues on the following pages.