Arshad Al-Umari
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Arshad Pasha al-Umari (; 8 April 1888 – 5 August 1978) was an Iraqi statesman, engineer, diplomate, and cabinet official who held several political roles during the monarchy era of Iraq. Born in
Mosul Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...
to the ancient and well-known al-Umari family clan, he served as Prime Minister of Iraq twice in 1946 and 1954 respectively. In 1945, as Foreign Affairs Minister, he led the Iraqi delegation to the San Francisco UN Conference. Among al-Umari's achievements was his work to establish the Iraqi Red Crescent Society in 1932 which was a welcoming development by the Iraqi educated elite at the time, the construction of various main roads, dams, including the
Kut Barrage The Kut Barrage is a barrage on the Tigris river, located in the modern town of Kut in Wasit Governorate, Iraq. Technical details It is long, high, and consists of 56 gates, each wide. The maximum discharge of the barrage is , but actual ...
, and oil pipes, and sending Iraqi troops to help in the
1948 Arab–Israeli War The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, also known as the First Arab–Israeli War, followed the 1947–1948 civil war in Mandatory Palestine, civil war in Mandatory Palestine as the second and final stage of the 1948 Palestine war. The civil war becam ...
. However, al-Umari was criticized for his lack of interest in archaeological sites and monuments. Most notoriously, he allowed the demolishment of the Murjan Mosque's walls in favor of road expansion. His first ministry also saw the Gavurbağı incident which damaged his reputation.


Early life and education

Arshad al-Umari was born in Mosul, Iraq on 8 April 1888 when his father was Mayor of Mosul. He obtained his high school degree in 1904 when he was 16 years old. After finishing high school at Mosul he left for
Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
, the capital of the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
, to complete his studies. He did the trip by horse via
Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...
to the port of Alexandretta on the
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...
. Such a trip in those days took about 40 days. From Alexandretta, he took the steamer to Istanbul where he was admitted to the Architectural Division of the Royal Engineering College. The teaching staff of the college were professors from
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
,
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and
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. He graduated as an architect in 1908, when he was 21 years old, and was appointed to the Architectural Division of the Municipality of Istanbul. When
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
broke out in 1914 he was conscripted as an engineer in the Ministry of Defense and when the war was over in 1918 he returned to the Municipality of Istanbul as Chief Engineer when
Cemil Topuzlu Professor Cemil Topuzlu (18 March 1866 – 25 January 1958), also known as Cemil Pasha, was a Turkish social democratic politician who served two terms as mayor of Istanbul. During his time in office he oversaw major developments in the city, in ...
was Lord Mayor of Istanbul. He married Rafi'a Khanim, the younger sister of Jamil Pasha the Lord Mayor of Istanbul. Jamil Pasha and Rafi'a Khanim's father was Dhia Pasha who occupied several prominent positions in the Ottoman Empire, the most important of which was the personal supervision of the renovation of the
Dome of the Rock The Dome of the Rock () is an Islamic shrine at the center of the Al-Aqsa mosque compound on the Temple Mount in the Old City (Jerusalem), Old City of Jerusalem. It is the world's oldest surviving work of Islamic architecture, the List_of_the_ol ...
in
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
, ordered by the Sultan
Abdul Hamid II Abdulhamid II or Abdul Hamid II (; ; 21 September 184210 February 1918) was the 34th sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1876 to 1909, and the last sultan to exert effective control over the fracturing state. He oversaw a Decline and modernizati ...
. He lived with his family for several years in
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
to carry out this job. After World War I when the Arab countries including Iraq were separated from the Ottoman Empire, al-Umari returned from Istanbul to Mosul, in 1919, with his wife, where he was appointed chief engineer of the Municipality of Mosul and continued until 1924. During this period his four children, Suad, Frozan (Suzy), Issam, and Imad were born in Mosul.


Political career


Earlier political roles

In 1924, he was elected a member of the first Parliament of Iraq after the formation of the national government of Iraq under King
Faisal I Faisal I bin Hussein bin Ali Al-Hashemi (, ''Fayṣal al-Awwal bin Ḥusayn bin ʻAlī al-Hāshimī''; 20 May 1885 – 8 September 1933) was King of Iraq from 23 August 1921 until his death in 1933. A member of the Hashemites, Hashemite family, ...
. From 1925 through 1931 he was Director General of Post and Telegraph. In 1933, he was Director General of Irrigation, and from 1934 to 1935 he was Minister of Public Works. During his Ministership, the opening of the famous oil pipeline from the oilfields at
Kirkuk Kirkuk (; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate. The city is home to a diverse population of Kurds, Iraqi Turkmen, Iraqi Turkmens and Arabs. Kirkuk sits on the ruins of the original Kirkuk Cit ...
to the Mediterranean over was celebrated. In 1935, he was Director General of Municipalities.


Iraqi Red Crescent Society

On the formation of the Iraqi Red Crescent Society, he was elected President of the society and continued holding that position until 1958, more than 25 years.


Mayor of Baghdad

From 1931 to 1933, al-Umari became Lord Mayor of
Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...
for the first time. From 1936 to 1944, he was Lord Mayor of Baghdad for a second time. The city planning and the general layout of the present modern Baghdad were believed to be one of Iraq's greatest achievements of that period.


Minister of Foreign Affairs

From 4 June 1944 to 25 August 1945, he was
Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...
and Deputy Minister of Defense and Supply. During his Ministership of Foreign Affairs, diplomatic relations were established with the
USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
and letters were exchanged between him and
Vyacheslav Molotov Vyacheslav Mikhaylovich Molotov (; – 8 November 1986) was a Soviet politician, diplomat, and revolutionary who was a leading figure in the government of the Soviet Union from the 1920s to the 1950s, as one of Joseph Stalin's closest allies. ...
on 11 September 1944. Also during his Ministership, the
Arab League The Arab League (, ' ), officially the League of Arab States (, '), is a regional organization in the Arab world. The Arab League was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945, initially with seven members: Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt, Kingdom of Iraq, ...
was formed and he headed the Iraqi delegations to
Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...
,
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
, and signed the Charter of the
Arab League The Arab League (, ' ), officially the League of Arab States (, '), is a regional organization in the Arab world. The Arab League was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945, initially with seven members: Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt, Kingdom of Iraq, ...
on 22 March 1945. Al-Umari headed the Iraqi delegation to sign the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
charter at
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. On the arrival of the Iraqi delegation to
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
, President
Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
died on 12 April 1945. al-Umari headed the Iraqi delegation at the funeral on 14 April 1945. On 26 April, the San Francisco Conference consisting of 50 nations met to discuss the draft of the United Nations Organization. Al-Umari, the head of the Iraqi delegation, in protest against the apparent intention of the great powers to partition the British Mandate of Palestine into a Jewish State and an Arab State, refused to sign the charter and left the conference returning to Iraq on June 13, 1945. On June 26 the Charter was signed with Dr.
Muhammad Fadhel al-Jamali Muhammad Fadhel al-Jamali () (20 April 1903 – 24 May 1997) was an Iraqi statesman, educator, politician and diplomat, who held important posts in the government of Iraq, during the royal era. Most notably he served as Iraq's prime minister ...
signing it on behalf of Iraq.Political Signs in Modern Iraq
- Mir Basri - Part Two - Dar Al-Hikma London - First Edition 2004 - Page 7, 8
After his return to Iraq, al-Umari resigned from the cabinet as Minister of Foreign Affairs on 25 August 1945.


Serving as Prime Minister of Iraq twice

From the first of June to mid-December 1946, he was
Prime Minister of Iraq The prime minister of the Republic of Iraq is the head of government of Iraq and the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces. On 27 October 2022, Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani became the incumbent prime minister. History The prime minist ...
for the first time. During this time, Turkoman workers were demanding their labor rights. On July 7, 1946, the Iraqi Minister of Economy, Baba Ali Sheikh Mahmud, went to the Ministry of al-Umari in
Kirkuk Kirkuk (; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate. The city is home to a diverse population of Kurds, Iraqi Turkmen, Iraqi Turkmens and Arabs. Kirkuk sits on the ruins of the original Kirkuk Cit ...
, pressuring him to put an end to the protests, one way or another. However, al-Umari could not persuade them to stop protesting and began using threats and intimidation, which did not work either. Protesting workers responded by gathering in Gavurbağı Park, and then Iraqi police arrived and began shooting at the workers. 16 workers were killed and 30 were injured in the attack. The event caused a general uproar which caused al-Umari to embark on a repressive policy, which allowed arrests to take place, and the closure of newspapers. In response, further strikes by printing and railway workers took place which led al-Umari to declare martial law. During this period, the Iraqi
Kurdish Democratic Party The Kurdistan Democratic Party (), usually abbreviated as KDP or PDK, is the ruling party in Iraqi Kurdistan and the senior partner in the Kurdistan Regional Government. It was founded in 1946 in Mahabad in Iranian Kurdistan. The party states ...
held its founding congress in Baghdad in 1946, bringing together general
Mustafa Barzani Mustafa Barzani (14 March 1903 – 1 March 1979), also known as Mullah Mustafa, was a Kurdish nationalist leader and one of the most prominent political figures in modern Kurdish politics. In 1946, he was chosen as the leader of the Kurdistan ...
and many of his ethno-nationalist allies and groups under Barzani's rule. Al-Umari welcomed the group since Barzani wasn't willing to provoke any radical changes in the country. Regent Abd al-Ilah started to lose confidence in al-Umari. Particularly, the declaration of martial law, especially before the 1946 Iraqi parliamentary election. As well as railway and printing workers who went on strike due to al-Umari's repression. This led to the resignation of al-Umari from the Prime Minister's office in November of that year. In April 1954, he became Prime Minister of Iraq for the second time after al-Jamali resigned from his role as prime minister. He was hired by Regent Abd al-Ilah after disappointed hopes in reform. He was ensigned to form a new government and hold elections despite fears of a repeat of al-Umari's 1946 repressions. The
June 1954 Iraqi parliamentary election Parliamentary elections were held in Iraq on 9 June 1954, although they were delayed until 14 June in some areas due to social upheaval.Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) ''Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume I'', p101 ...
proved to be the most free Iraqi elections up to this point, at least in the urban areas. The elections gave representation on various fronts. Parties opposed to al-Umari's role as Prime Minister denounced him due to his history of repression of opinions and his lack of belief in
democracy Democracy (from , ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a state. Under a minimalist definition of democracy, rulers are elected through competitiv ...
. Believing opposition forces will now be harder to contain, al-Umari resigned the premiership in June.


Other roles

From 29 January to 23 June 1948, he was
Minister of Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...
. In 1952 he was selected to be the Executive Vice-President of the Development Board. The Development Board was formed to undertake the study and execution of major construction schemes such as the
Darbandikhan Dam The Darbandikhan Dam () is a multi-purpose embankment dam on the Diyala River in northern Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Iraq. It was constructed between 1956 and 1961. The purpose of the dam is irrigation, flood control, hydroelectric power producti ...
on the
Diyala River The Diyala (Arabic: ; ; Farsi: , ) is a river and tributary of the Tigris. It is formed by the confluence of the Sirwan and Tanjaro rivers in Darbandikhan Dam in the Sulaymaniyah Governorate of Northern Iraq. It covers a total distance of . ...
, the Dukan Dam on the
Little Zab The Little Zab or Lower Zab (, ''al-Zāb al-Asfal''; or '; , ''Zâb-e Kuchak''; , ''Zāba Taḥtāya'') is a river that originates in Iran and joins the Tigris just south of Al Zab in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. The Little Zab is approximatel ...
, the Bekhme Dam on the
Great Zab The Great Zab or Upper Zab (; or ; ; ) is an approximately long river flowing through Turkey and Iraq. It rises in Turkey near Lake Van and joins the Tigris in Iraq south of Mosul. During its course, the river collects water from many tributar ...
, the Samarra Dam on the
Tigris The Tigris ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the eastern of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian Desert, Syrian and Arabia ...
and the
Lake Tharthar Lake Tharthar (also Therthar), and known in Iraq as Buhayrat ath-Tharthar (), is an artificial lake created in 1956, situated 100 kilometers (62 mi) northwest of Baghdad between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers. History In 1956, the southern ...
flood protection scheme connected with it, the Mosul Dam on the
Tigris The Tigris ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the eastern of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian Desert, Syrian and Arabia ...
, the network of modern highways connecting major cities in Iraq, a great number of hospitals, schools and other public institutions.


Later life and death

In 1958, at the age of 70, he retired to the city of Istanbul. He returned to Iraq in 1968 and spent the rest of his life at the Baghdad residence of his elder son, Issam al-Umari. He died in Baghdad on 5 August 1978 at the age of 90 and was buried at a family cemetery in Mosul.


References


Works cited

*


Bibliography

* Manhal Ismail Al-Ali Bey,
Arshad Al-Omari 1888 - 1978, a historical study of his administrative, political and military role
'. Private publisher, 2006. (In Arabic.) * Harris M. Lentz III, ''Heads of States and Governments: A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Over 2,300 Leaders, 1945 through 1992''. McFarland & Company, Inc., 1994, p. 411. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Umari 1888 births 1978 deaths Iraqi Muslims Arab people from the Ottoman Empire Prime ministers of Iraq Public works ministers of Iraq Ministers of foreign affairs of Iraq Ministers of defence of Iraq Permanent representatives of Iraq to the United Nations People from Mosul Mayors of Baghdad