Iraq History Trivia

1. For how long did a Jewish community exist in the region now known as Iraq?

From Quiz Farhud

Answer: Over 2000 years

Jews arrived at the region as a result of a series of exiles which followed the taking over of Judea by the Babylonian empire in the late 7th and early 6th centuries BC. The climax of the Babylonian occupation was the destruction of the first Jewish temple in Jerusalem (586 BC). In 1941, an estimated 150,000 Jews lived in Iraq.

From Quiz Baghdad - A History

Answer: Al-Mansur

Al-Mansur founded Baghdad as the capital of his caliphate, declaring it the perfect site for his kingdom and descendants. The Abbasid Caliphate was feuding with the Umayyad Caliphate and Baghdad was created to assert the Abbasid dominance in he region. Historians note that at Al-Mansur founded what could be considered present-day Baghdad and that references to Baghdad prior to 762 are likely from a different city that was once in the vicinity.

From Quiz General History of Iraq

Answer: 636 A.D.

The war between the Arabs and Persians for Iraq actually started in 633, but after the Battle of Qadisiyya, the Arabs defeated the previous occupiers and took control.

From Quiz Farhud

Answer: German ambassador in Iraq

Grobba was an ardent Antisemite who represented the Third Reich to the full. His actions included taking over an Arabic language newspaper to serve as a Nazi propaganda tool and translating "Mein Kampf" into Arabic. The British mandate ended in 1932 rendering Iraq independent, but also extremely unstable. Grobba did his utmost to ensure that a Nazi-aligned regime prevailed in Iraq.

From Quiz Baghdad - A History

Answer: Circle

Baghdad was nicknamed the Round City. The circular layout was a common feature in Persia. In the center of the city was a mosque and guard houses with the homes for the residents circled out around the mosque to the city walls. Baghdad was designed by the Barmakid Family, a powerful and wealthy family within the Abbasid Caliphate. The Barmakids remained influential until Haran al-Rashid noticed just how powerful they had become, dominating Baghdad's wealth. Many characters from "One Thousand and One Arabian Nights" are based off the Barmakids. Jafar the vizier from "Aladdin" is probably the most famous.

From Quiz General History of Iraq

Answer: Abbasid

Even though in 945 the Buwayhids conquered Baghdad, they allowed the Abbasid caliph to remain in office. The same thing happened when the Seljuks established Sunni rule there in 1055.

From Quiz Farhud

Answer: A pro-Nazi Palestinian nationalist and Muslim leader

As a result of the violent Arab revolt he initiated in the area of the British mandate to Palestine (1936), Hajj Amin al-Husseini fled to Lebanon. In 1939 he arrived to Iraq, and co-operated with pro-Nazi leaders in attempting to take over the British-aligned regime and in perpetrating antisemitic violence against the Jewish community. During the course of WWII he reached Germany and was employed by the Nazi regime between 1941 and 1945. He evaded trial as a war criminal after fleeing imprisonment in France in unclear circumstances (1946).

From Quiz Baghdad - A History

Answer: Law

Law and the concept of justice are at the center of Islam, and especially so at that time. The Islamic schools of Hanafi and Hanbali also started to develop during this time in Baghdad. Even today, Hanafi is the largest school of Islam in the world. The translation of texts into and from Arabic was also a growing area during Islam's golden age. During this time period, it is estimated that Baghdad was the most populous city in the world, although there is no solid evidence.

From Quiz General History of Iraq

Answer: 1335

In 1335 the last Mongol ruler of that region died, and Iraq became anarchic. Baghdad was eventually sacked in 1401 by a Turkic conquerer, but in the the 1500s it was a battleground for the Ottomans and the Persians.

From Quiz Farhud

Answer: A coup d'état

Members of the pro-Nazi group of four Iraqi officers known as "The Golden Square" led by Rashid Ali overthrew the Iraqi Regent Abdul Ilah. They were aided by the likes of Dr. Fritz Grobba and Hajj Amin al-Husseini to whom a Nazi-controlled Iraq was a prime goal.

From Quiz Baghdad - A History

Answer: Mongol Empire

The Mongol Empire was expanding rapidly throughout Asia, and the Mongol leader Hulagu Khan wanted to get into Mesopotamia. The original intent was just to conquer lands in what is now Iraq, but not take Baghdad. However, Al-Musta'sim, the caliph, refused to surrender any land to the Mongols, who then subsequently sacked the city. Al-Musta'sim was killed in the invasion.

From Quiz General History of Iraq

Answer: 1638

Their control lasted until 1917-18, when Iraq was conquered by Britain in the First World War.

From Quiz Farhud

Answer: Two months

The April coup d'état prompted the British to rapid action. By May 29th they were at the gates of Baghdad. On May 30th Rashid Ali and Hajj Amin al-Husseini fled the city (the latter to Italy, then to Germany). With the British negotiating terms with the remaining officers, a vacuum was created which enabled the horrors of the days to come.

From Quiz Baghdad - A History

Answer: Suleiman

The fall of Baghdad symbolized total Ottoman control of the Mesopotamian region as they now had a port on the Persian Gulf. Baghdad did not fare well during Ottoman rule and the population declined significantly to a couple of hundred thousand whereas it was once over a million. Baghdad remained under Ottoman control until Persia took it in 1623, but the Ottomans regained it in 1638.

From Quiz General History of Iraq

Answer: Great Britain

Great Britain started to increase its influence in the area around the late 19th century. Early in the 20th century Germany became heavily involved with the construction of the Berlin-Baghdad railway.

From Quiz Farhud

Answer: Violent dispossession

During the two months of the Rashid Ali regime several small-scale violent actions were carried out against the Jewish communities in Basra and Baghdad. Farhud is meant to describe the large-scale eruption of violence which occurred in June 1-2, 1941 in Baghdad. Arabic radio and newspapers were instigating Muslim majority to take revenge on the Jews for "co-operating" with the British and causing the fall of the Rashid Ali regime.

From Quiz General History of Iraq

Answer: 1932

It was supposed to be a Class A mandate, which generally meant it would gain independence within a few years. It was the very first mandate to gain independence, but British influence remained strong.

From Quiz Baghdad - A History

Answer: Istanbul

Istanbul was the capital of the Ottoman Empire and by this time in the mid 19th century, the Ottomans had disposed of the Malmuks and reintroduced their direct rule over Baghdad. The telegraph line was a means of communication not necessarily to improve Baghdad's infrastructure (which it did) but served mainly as a way for the Ottomans to control Baghdad.

From Quiz General History of Iraq

Answer: Faisal I

The British had actually chose him to be king before, when Iraq was a mandate. He remained king of the independent Iraq.

From Quiz Farhud

Answer: June 2nd afternoon, curfew imposed

The main British interest at the time was reinstating Regent Abdul Illah, who returned to Baghdad late on May 31st. Despite the horrific scale of violence, Kinahan Cornwallis, British Ambassador to Iraq, refused to allow British armed forces to enter Baghdad on an immediate basis. On the afternoon of June 2nd, Iraqi forces (mostly Kurd soldiers) entered Baghdad to impose a curfew in order to put an end to the Farhud. Only after their entry were British soldiers allowed in.

From Quiz Baghdad - A History

Answer: Britain

The Mesopotamian Campaign was part of World War I and Britain's fight against the Ottoman Empire. The British were led by General Frederick Maude when they succeeded in taking Baghdad and Basra from the Ottomans. The taking of Baghdad was seen as revenge as the British had been forced to surrender the Kut garrison to the Ottomans in 1916, which was seen as a major defeat.

From Quiz General History of Iraq

Answer: Turkey

It eventually evolved to include other countries and have its name changed.

From Quiz Farhud

Answer: Conducted a formal investigation

Within a week of the Farhud, a committee of enquiry was set up. While the reinstated regime had every interest to wipe out the pro-Nazi movement and get rid of its members, it also had a sincere motivation to restore the security of the Jewish community who had been an integral part of life in Iraq for over 2500 years.

From Quiz Baghdad - A History

Answer: Faisal II

Faisal II had been king since 1939 when he was four years old with his regent 'Abd al-llah, who was also killed in the attacks. The Supreme Committee of Free Officers led the coup against Faisal II because they saw Iraq as under the control of the western world and hoped to liberate it. Iraq's economic climate had also been poor since World War II and smaller uprisings throughout the Middle East also weakened Iraq's position in the region. During the aftermath, Iraq was thrown into political chaos until 1968 when the Ba'ath Party took power, with Saddam Hussein taking charge in 1979.

From Quiz General History of Iraq

Answer: 1960

Iraq made a request to the UN for the British military presence in Kuwait be taken away, but the request was declined.

From Quiz Farhud

Answer: 1950-1, after the inception of the state of Israel

After the Farhud, small numbers of Jews trickled illegally out of Iraq. During 1950-1, in what known as "Operation Ezra and Nehemiah" (who were the prophets responsible for the Jewish return from Babylon in the 6th century BC), most of Iraqi Jewry was brought to Israel, around 120,000 in total. Nowadays a handful of Jews remains in war-torn Iraq.

From Quiz Baghdad - A History

Answer: Green Zone

The Green Zone was about a four sq. mile area of land in the center of Baghdad. The Green Zone housed many military bases as well as several luxurious buildings that once belonged to Hussein and the Ba'ath Party, making it the ideal place to set up a temporary government. The Coalition Provisional Authority later ceded power once a new Iraqi government was established in 2004.

From Quiz General History of Iraq

Answer: Destroy all military munitions in arsenals.

The death tolls and other information on this war are highly contradictory between the two countries, with both claiming more casualties for the other side.

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