Ottoman Iraq ( ar, العراق العثماني}) refers to the period of the history of

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

when the region was ruled by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...

(1534–1920; with an interlude from 1704 to 1831 of autonomy under the Mamluk dynasty of Iraq).
Before reforms (1534–1704),

was divided into four

Eyalets Eyalets (Ottoman Turkish: ایالت, , English: State), also known as beylerbeyliks or pashaliks, were a primary administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. From 1453 to the beginning of the nineteenth century the Ottoman local government ...

(provinces): *

Baghdad Eyalet , common_name = Baghdad Eyalet , conventional_long_name =Eyalet of Baghdad , subdivision = Eyalet , nation = the Ottoman EmpireUnder Safavid occupation (1624–1638) , year_start = 1535 , year_end ...

Shahrizor Eyalet , common_name = Sharazor Eyalet , subdivision = Eyalet , nation = the Ottoman Empire , year_start = 1554 , year_end = 1862 , date_start = , date_end = , event_start = , event ...

* Basra Eyalet *

Mosul Eyalet Mosul Eyalet ( ar, إيالة الموصل; ota, ایالت موصل, Eyālet-i Mūṣul) was an eyalet of the Ottoman Empire. Its reported area in the 19th century was . The eyalet was largely inhabited by Kurds. Playfair, James (1813)A System of ...

Ottoman Iraq was later (1831–1920) divided into the three

vilayets A vilayet ( ota, , "province"), also known by various other names, was a first-order administrative division of the later Ottoman Empire. It was introduced in the Vilayet Law of 21 January 1867, part of the Tanzimat reform movement initiated b ...

(provinces): * Mosul Vilayet * Baghdad Vilayet * Basra Vilayet Ottoman Empire Administrative Divisions

During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, an invasion of the region was undertaken by

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...

forces and was known as the

Mesopotamian campaign The Mesopotamian campaign was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I fought between the Allies represented by the British Empire, troops from Britain, Australia and the vast majority from British India, against the Central Po ...

. Fighting commenced with the Battle of Basra in 1914 and continued for the duration of the war. The most notable action was the

siege of Kut The siege of Kut Al Amara (7 December 1915 – 29 April 1916), also known as the first battle of Kut, was the besieging of an 8,000 strong British Army garrison in the town of Kut, south of Baghdad, by the Ottoman Army. In 1915, its population ...

, which resulted in the surrender of the British and

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which cou ...

garrison of the town in April 1916, after a siege of 147 days.The National Archives – Exhibitions – First World War – Battles – The Mesopotamia campaign
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Contemporary maps, showing eyalets (pre Tanzimat reforms)

Contemporary maps, showing vilayets (post Tanzimat reforms)

Contemporary maps, showing eyalets (pre Tanzimat reforms)

Contemporary maps, showing vilayets (post Tanzimat reforms)

References

See also