INTRODUCTION 11
1 Country and People 11
Among the Nations 13
Variety in Unity 16
The People 21
Land and Water 29
PART ONE THE IRAQ OF YESTERDAY 35
2 Early Ages 37
Dawn and Morning 37
The First Great Empires 41
Persian and Greek 46
Parthian and Sassanian 50
3 Muslim Iraq 57
The First Century of Islam 57
The House of＇Abbas 60
The Darkest Age 66
The Turkish Empire 69
4 The British Mandate 78
First World War，and After 78
The Mandate 82
The British Contribution 90
PART TWO THE INDEPENDENT KINGDOM 95
5 The Course of Events 97
6 The Economy 110
Agronomy 111
Industry 122
Trade 127
Communications 131
Money 137
State Finance 138
Cost of Living 141
National Development 143
Oil 148
7 The Machinery of State 155
Administration 155
Law and Order 158
Defence 161
Health 164
Labour and Social Security 167
Town and Country Development 169
Education 172
8 Society 182
The Social Pattern 182
The Family and the Sexes 190
Daily Life 194
Culture 198
Religion 204
9 Politics 207
The Nation 208
Iraq and the Arab Countries 213
Iraq and the Foreign Powers 222
Government and the Political System 228
Epilogue 245
APPENDICES 249
1 List of Cabinets 251
2 Table of Administrative Units 253
3 Note on Books 254
Index 257
Map of Iraq 256