Architecture of Iraq

Under the Umayyads the Arab empire continued to expand, eventually extending to Central Asia and the borders of India in the east, Yemen in the south, the Atlantic coast of what is now Morocco and the Iberian Peninsula in the west.

While the Umayyads had typically reused pre-Islamic buildings in the cities they had conquered, by the Abbasid era many of these structures required replacement.

The core area of the city was initially constructed in the reign of al-Mu'tasim, with further development taking place under al-Wathiq and al-Mutawakkil.

In the 1950s, as Iraq became wealthier due to oil revenue during the reign of King Faisal II, several important projects were commissioned.

Numerous foreign architects, including Walter Groupius and Le Corbusier were invited to Iraq to design various public buildings during this period.