DOCSLIB.ORG

Babylon: Ancient History Brought to Life by Sgt

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Babylon: Ancient History Brought to Life by Sgt Click here to subscribee July 22, 2009 Babylon: ancient history brought to life By Sgt. Debralee P. Crankshaw MND-S AL HILLAH – High-reaching walls, an- cient statues and a past fi lled with wonders and fame are an intrinsic part of Babylon. Maj. Gen. Rick Nash, Multi-National Di- vision – South commanding general, Brig. Gen. Gerald Lang, MND-S deputy com- manding general for support, Command Sgt. Maj. Doug Julin, MND-S senior enlisted leader and other Soldiers and civilians vis- ited the site July 18 to see what this ancient city has to off er for Iraq. “The mission (to Babylon) was to edu- cate those on the command staff and some of the primary staff members on the impor- tance of the religious aspects of this country and what there is to off er,” said Julin. “Even though we are at war there are some very important things we have to preserve here and help them preserve as well.” Babylon is recognized by some as one of the fi rst civilizations on earth. “Babylon was established as a sett lement in 3000 B.C. and was a product of dynasty work which was already old here,” said Ahmed Aziz Ibrheme, an archeologist with the Department of Babylon city. “It has a long history of about 5,000 years.” Babylon’s story is not only one of great length, but also one of much fame and his- torical signifi cance. The earliest of this fame is Hammurabi and his legal code around 1700 B.C. This code was displayed on tablets so everyone could read them. The only known surviving code has almost 300 laws, stands seven-feet tall and is currently displayed at Paris’ Lou- vre Museum. The code covers many social and eco- nomic relationships, one law stating, “If a free person puts out the eye of a free person, then that person’s eye shall be put out.” Photo by Sgt. Debralee P. Cranskahw BABYLON Soldiers stand guard within the walls of the ancient city of Babylon. Some of the ruins were Page 3 reconstructed by Saddam Hussein. The Red Bull Report July 22, 2009 Page 2 New direction, task along Maysan’s border By Capt. Gordon Gimse 4th BCT, 1st Armd. Div. CAMP SPARROW HAWK –– As Iraqis celebrated National Sovereignty Day June 30 and U.S. forces moved outside the cities, the border in May- san province was secured by the Iraqi Army, Department of Border Enforce- ment and their partners from Alpha Batt ery, 2nd Batt alion, 29th Field Artil- lery Regiment, “Task Force Pathfi nd- er.” The batt ery is advising and assisting 1st and 2nd Batt alion, 41st Iraqi Army Brigade, and 3rd and 4th Batt alion, Iraqi Department of Border Enforce- ment in Maysan’s marshlands. The Iraqi forces are responsible for the security of a portion of Iraq’s east- ern border. This region has a long and costly history with Iran. Maysan is lit- tered with military debris and unex- ploded ordnance from its war during Courtesy photo the 1980s. The Army’s Explosive Ord- Spc. Manuel Figueroa of Battery A, 2nd Battalion 29th Field Artillery Regiment instructs 2nd Bn, 41st Iraqi nance Disposal team on Forward Op- Army Brigade medics on the proper use of tourniquets during fi rst-responder training. Figueroa is a healthcare specialist from El Paso, Texas deployed with 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division. erating Base Hunter is routinely called to collect and dispose of this ammuni- such as maintenance, medical fi rst re- A strong relationship between IA tion. sponder, room clearing and patrolling and DBE forces will be required to “During the war, residents were procedures. maintain security along the border af- told to leave without compensation “The training is very helpful in get- ter the U.S. departs. from their villages,” said Ehsan Alaba- ting us ready for the next step,” said Soldiers of Btry. A are helping bridge di, a veteran of the Iraq-Iran War who Iraqi Army Lt. Col. Abdul Amir, 1st Bn. this gap by training both units simulta- serves as an interpreter on FOB Hunter. commander. neously. They are enabling both forces “When they returned, they had to start Additionally, the batt ery has been and, in doing so, making cohesion eas- all over in a place full of land mines increasing the core abilities of Iraq’s ier for them in the future. and other unexploded bombs.” Border Agents while encouraging its Soldiers of Btry. A train their Iraqi cooperation with the IA stationed near- For all of Capt. Gimse’s stories go to: counterparts here on Soldier skills by. www.TheRedBulls.org/Gimse The Red Bull Report is an authorized 34th Inf. Div. PAO: Lt. Col. Kevin Olson 172nd Brigade Combat Team publication for members of MND-S. OIC, Command Information: Maj. Page Baldwin 2nd BCT, 4th Infantry Division NCOIC, Command Information: 1st Sgt. Larry Mears Contents of The Red Bull Report are not 4th BCT, 1st Armored Division NCOIC: Staff Sgt. Dave Lankford necessarily offi cial views of, or endorsed 41st Fires Brigade Managing Editor: Staff Sgt. Derek Smith 343rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment by, the U.S. Government, Department of Assignment Editor: Sgt. Debralee P. Crankshaw Defense, Department of the Army or the 193rd Military Police Battalion Graphics Designer: Sgt. Eric Jungels Special Troops Battalion, 34th Inf. Div. 34th Infantry Division. All editorial content Photo Editor: Spc. Tyler Maulding Task Force 28 of The Red Bull Report is prepared, edited Layout/Design: Spc. Stephanie Cassinos provided and approved by the 34th Infantry Staff Writers: Sgt. Frank Vaughn, 450th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne) Division Public Affairs Offi ce. Sgt. Brandon LeFlore, Spc. Darryl L. Montgomery, Media Queries please contact 34th Inf. Div. Public Pfc. J. Princeville Lawrence Affairs Offi ce at [email protected] The Red Bull Report July 22, 2009 Page 3 From Page 1 god, Adad. The re-creation was built in the 1930s with site BABYLON tiles. The foundation of the original gate remains at the site. To archaeologists, the historic signifi cance comes from the There is also signifi cance in the city for those interested age of Nebuchadnezzar II in approximately 600 B.C. This in war and military commanders. Alexander the Great con- was called the Golden Period. quered the city in 331 B.C. Babylon became the center of his “Most of the great parts were built during this age, the empire for his 12-year campaign against the Persians and Hanging Gardens which were one of the Seven Wonders of India. He died in Babylon in 323 B.C. His generals fought for the World and, in addition to that, the construction of Baby- control of his empire, causing the citizens of Babylon to dis- lon tower and other (structures) here, like the walls, temples perse. Babylon never regained its position as a great world and palaces,” said Ibrheme. power. The Hanging Gardens are the only wonder whose exis- To religious people, Babylon also has a strong signifi - tence remains in some doubt. However, there is a part of cance. the tour with arched ceilings and indoor wells where it is “Babylon is a very important empire and city in the old believed the gardens may have grown. In early lists of the testament. It fi gures prominently in the development of the seven wonders, the Walls of Babylon were included. Later Jewish faith as well as the Christian faith,” said Chap. (Lt. lists replace the walls with the Lighthouse of Alexandria. Col.) John Morris, MND-S command chaplain. “About two- These walls are one of Babylon’s claims to fame. One of thirds of the old testament mentions Babylon in one form the most famous of these was Ishtar’s Gate. or another. Sometimes it’s prior to the Babylonian exile of The tour of the site begins by passing through a re-cre- Jewish people from Israel to Babylon. Sometimes it’s in the ation of the Ishtar Gate. This gate was originally built by midst of that exile and sometimes it’s aft erwards.” Nebuchadnezzar II in 575 B.C. It was dedicated to Ishtar, the “The prophets particularly talk about Babylon as an in- goddess of love and war. It was decorated with glazed blue strument of God’s wrath,” Morris continued. “The Book of tiles with alternating rows of dragons and bulls. The drag- Daniel centers itself in Babylon as well as the Book of Eze- ons were a tribute to Marduk, the god of water, vegetation, kiel. So, Babylonian history is very important for people of judgment and magic. The bulls were dedicated to the rain faith to understand.” Muslims and Christians are also an important part of Babylonian history. “In addition, Muslims revere many of the prophets who were in Babylon who were mentioned in the old testament,” said Morris. “Of course, Christians understand Babylon from the new testament. It’s mentioned prominently in the Book of Revelation as a city and as a metaphor for a gigantic civilization in opposition to God. So, that empire and that city are important for people of monotheist faiths to under- stand the development of their faith.” In recent history, Saddam Hussein had begun reconstruc- tion of the ruins and built a palace on the site. Many bricks of the reconstruction have an inscription in the imitation of Nebuchadnezzar II. Many of them state, “This was built by Saddam Hussein, son of Nebuchadnezzar, to glorify Iraq.” Today, surveys are being conducted to determine the pos- sibility of making Babylon a historic and tourism site.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • GENDER PROFILE – IRAQ a Situation Analysis on Gender Equality and Women’S Empowerment in Iraq
    RESEARCH REPORT DECEMBER 2018 Photo Credit: Abbie Trayler-Smith/Oxfam GENDER PROFILE – IRAQ A situation analysis on gender equality and women’s empowerment in Iraq VALERIA VILARDO Gender and Conflict Analyst SARA BITTAR Consultant CONTENTS Acronyms and abbreviations……………………………………………3 Executive Summary……………………………………………………...4 Introduction………………………………………………………………..5 Gender, peace and security agenda………………….………………18 Women’s leadership and political participation……………………...20 Women in the economy…………………………………….................24 Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG)……...…………………35 Women’s access to health……………………………………………..46 Women’s access to justice…………………………………………….51 Women’s participation in ICT, media and civil society……….……..55 Conclusions and recommendations……………………….………….58 Annex 1………………………………………………………….……….58 Notes……………………………………………………………………..64 Acknowledgements……………………………………………………..73 2 Country Gender Profile – Iraq ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS BWA Baghdad Women Association CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women CRC Convention on the Rights of the Child ICCPR International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights FGD Focus group discussion FGM/C Female genital mutilation/cutting GBV Gender-based violence GDI UN Gender Development Index IDPs Internal displaced people ILO International Labor Organization IOM International Organization for Migration INAP Iraqi National Action Plan IPU Inter-Parliamentary Union IQD Iraqi Dinar ISIL Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant KIIs Key informant interviews
    [Show full text]
  • IRAQI DINAR DEVALUATION and the PRICE of the FOOD BASKET Macro-Economic Situation
    IRAQI DINAR DEVALUATION AND THE PRICE OF THE FOOD BASKET Macro-economic Situation Significant decline in oil revenues, a history of expansion of the state’s role in the economy and competitive currency exchange rates from neighboring countries pushed the Iraqi Government into a budget deficit by the end of 2020. This led to the Government taking a firm measure for policy reform to mitigate risks and restore the economy. Throughout, WFP has been monitoring food and market prices. This report presents an analysis and findings of the effects of the recent currency devaluation on food prices, including on the most vulnerable households. Towards the end of 2019, Iraq and other members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) witnessed a decrease in oil prices and struggled to reach a speedy consensus on production cuts to boost demand and stem the price decline. The demand for oil was further hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant world-wide lockdowns in 2020. Iraq, the world’s third biggest oil exporter, remains heavily dependent on oil which contributes to 90 percent of the government’s revenue, a dependency much higher than other oil exporting countries in the MENA region. This twin shock of decreased demand and price of oil has impacted Iraq’s economy and Government budget the most. Impact of One Dollar Change in Oil Price on Revenue Oil Revenue vs. Non-Oil Revenue (In percent of non-oil GDP) (In share of total revenue) 1.2 Kuwait Iraq 1 Oman 0.8 Qatar Bahrain 0.6 UAE 0.4 Saudi Arabia Yemen 0.2 Algeria Oil revenues are critical for Iraq.
    [Show full text]
  • Investment Map of Iraq 2016
    Republic of Iraq Presidency of Council of Ministers National Investment Commission Investment Map of Iraq 2016 Dear investor: Investment opportunities found in Iraq today vary in terms of type, size, scope, sector, and purpose. the door is wide open for all investors who wish to hold investment projects in Iraq,; projects that would meet the growing needs of the Iraqi population in different sectors. Iraq is a country that brims with potential, it is characterized by its strategic location, at the center of world trade routes giving it a significant feature along with being a rich country where I herby invite you to look at Iraq you can find great potentials and as one of the most important untapped natural resources which would places where untapped investment certainly contribute in creating the decent opportunities are available in living standards for people. Such features various fields and where each and characteristics creates favorable opportunities that will attract investors, sector has a crucial need for suppliers, transporters, developers, investment. Think about the great producers, manufactures, and financiers, potentials and the markets of the who will find a lot of means which are neighboring countries. Moreover, conducive to holding new projects, think about our real desire to developing markets and boosting receive and welcome you in Iraq , business relationships of mutual benefit. In this map, we provide a detailed we are more than ready to overview about Iraq, and an outline about cooperate with you In order to each governorate including certain overcome any obstacle we may information on each sector. In addition, face.
    [Show full text]
  • Cultural Orientation | Arabic-Iraqi
    ARABIC-IRAQI Al Faw Palace or Water Palace, Baghdad Flickr / Jeremy Taylor DLIFLC DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER CULTURAL ORIENTATION | ARABIC-IRAQI TABLE OF CONTENT Profile Introduction ................................................................................................................... 6 Geography .................................................................................................................... 7 Geographic Divisions and Topographic Features .................................................. 7 Desert ....................................................................................................................7 Upper Tigris and Euphrates Upland .................................................................8 Northeast Highlands ...........................................................................................8 Alluvial Plains .......................................................................................................9 Climate ........................................................................................................................... 9 Rivers and Lakes ........................................................................................................10 Tigris River ..........................................................................................................10 Euphrates River ................................................................................................10 Shatt al-Arab .....................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Iraq, August 2006
    Library of Congress – Federal Research Division Country Profile: Iraq, August 2006 COUNTRY PROFILE: IRAQ August 2006 COUNTRY Formal Name: Republic of Iraq (Al Jumhuriyah al Iraqiyah). Short Form: Iraq. Term for Citizen(s): Iraqi(s). Click to Enlarge Image Capital: Baghdad. Major Cities (in order of population size): Baghdad, Mosul (Al Mawsil), Basra (Al Basrah), Arbil (Irbil), Kirkuk, and Sulaymaniyah (As Sulaymaniyah). Independence: October 3, 1932, from the British administration established under a 1920 League of Nations mandate. Public Holidays: New Year’s Day (January 1) and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein (April 9) are celebrated on fixed dates, although the latter has lacked public support since its declaration by the interim government in 2003. The following Muslim religious holidays occur on variable dates according to the Islamic lunar calendar, which is 11 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar: Eid al Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice), Islamic New Year, Ashoura (the Shia observance of the martyrdom of Hussein), Mouloud (the birth of Muhammad), Leilat al Meiraj (the ascension of Muhammad), and Eid al Fitr (the end of Ramadan). Flag: The flag of Iraq consists of three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with three green, five-pointed stars centered in the white band. The phrase “Allahu Akbar” (“God Is Great”) also appears in Arabic script in the white band with the word Allahu to the left of the center star and the word Akbar to the right of that star. Click to Enlarge Image HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Early History: Contemporary Iraq occupies territory that historians regard as the site of the earliest civilizations of the Middle East.
    [Show full text]
  • The Jewish Refugees from Arab Countries: an Examination of Legal Rights - a Case Study of the Human Rights Violations of Iraqi Jews
    Fordham International Law Journal Volume 26, Issue 3 2002 Article 6 The Jewish Refugees from Arab Countries: An Examination of Legal Rights - A Case Study of the Human Rights Violations of Iraqi Jews Carole Basri∗ ∗ Copyright c 2002 by the authors. Fordham International Law Journal is produced by The Berke- ley Electronic Press (bepress). http://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/ilj The Jewish Refugees from Arab Countries: An Examination of Legal Rights - A Case Study of the Human Rights Violations of Iraqi Jews Carole Basri Abstract Although the issues surrounding the Palestinian refugees are frequently addressed at the United Nations (”U.N.”), in the news media, and in legal journals, very little has been written about the Jews displaced from Arab lands. In light of the little known fact that approximately 50% of Israelis are Jews from Arab lands or their descendents, this Article will use Jews from Iraq as a case study in examining the history and rights of Jews from Arab countries, who were expelled or forced to seek refuge elsewhere. Part I of this Article examines the historical legal status of Jews in Iraq and the discriminatory and prosecutorial events that triggered the expulsion of Jews from Iraq. Part II demonstrates that actions taken by Iraq against Jews violated international law stan- dards and other laws applicable now and at that time. Part III addresses the question of whether Jews from Arab lands currently have any available remedies for these violations of their rights. Finally, the Article concludes that a full accounting of the rights of Jews from Arab lands must accompany any discussions aimed at providing a regional peace agreement for the Middle East, if such an agreement is to have strength and legitimacy under international law.
    [Show full text]
  • Economic Policy and Prospects in Iraq
    A Service of Leibniz-Informationszentrum econstor Wirtschaft Leibniz Information Centre Make Your Publications Visible. zbw for Economics Crane, Keith; Block,, William; Foote, Christopher; Gray, Simon Working Paper Economic Policy and Prospects in Iraq Public Policy Discussion Papers, No. 04-1 Provided in Cooperation with: Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Suggested Citation: Crane, Keith; Block,, William; Foote, Christopher; Gray, Simon (2004) : Economic Policy and Prospects in Iraq, Public Policy Discussion Papers, No. 04-1, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Boston, MA This Version is available at: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/23447 Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Documents in EconStor may be saved and copied for your Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. personal and scholarly purposes. Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle You are not to copy documents for public or commercial Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich purposes, to exhibit the documents publicly, to make them machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen. publicly available on the internet, or to distribute or otherwise use the documents in public. Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, If the documents have been made available under an Open gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort Content Licence (especially Creative Commons Licences), you genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. may exercise further usage rights as specified in the indicated licence. www.econstor.eu No. 04-1 Economic Policy and Prospects in Iraq Christopher Foote, William Block, Keith Crane, and Simon Gray Abstract: This paper describes the Coalition Provisional Authority’s attempts to stabilize and reform Iraq’s economy along market lines.
    [Show full text]
  • Economic Policy and Prospects in Iraq
    No. 04-1 Economic Policy and Prospects in Iraq Christopher Foote, William Block, Keith Crane, and Simon Gray Abstract: This paper describes the Coalition Provisional Authority’s attempts to stabilize and reform Iraq’s economy along market lines. It argues that while security concerns remain serious, Iraq’s economy has not been crippled by violence. However, sustained economic growth will depend on whether Iraq’s future leaders pursue the pro-market approaches the Coalition has advocated. If the Iraqi economy is to reach its potential, it will need to go even farther than the Coalition did, implementing reforms the Coalition did not pursue because of security concerns. ______________________________________________________________________________________ Christopher Foote is a Senior Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. William Block is an Economist, U.S. Department of the Treasury, Washington, D.C. Keith Crane is a Senior Economist, the RAND Corporation, Arlington, Virginia, office. Simon Gray is Adviser to the Governor, Bank of England, London, United Kingdom. All four of the authors worked at the Coalition Provisional Authority, Baghdad, Iraq. Their e-mail addresses are <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, and <[email protected]>, respectively. This paper is available on the web site of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston at http://www.bos.frb.org/economic/ppdp/index.htm and is forthcoming in the Journal of Economic Perspectives, 2004. The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the authors and do not reflect official positions of the Coalition Provisional Authority, the U.S. Treasury, the Bank of England, the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • New Iraqi Dinar Banknotes
    COALITION PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY ORDER NUMBER 43 NEW IRAQI DINAR BANKNOTES Pursuant to my authority as Administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), and under the laws and usages of war, and consistent with relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions, including Resolution 1483 (2003), Noting that different series of Iraqi dinar banknotes are currently circulating in Iraq, Understanding that there is an urgent economic need for the issuance of banknotes that will instill public confidence and facilitate the use of money for its traditional purposes; Recognizing the need to strengthen the monetary and financial systems of Iraq, in order to stabilize the economy and create monetary conditions for long-term growth; Determined to provide a legal framework for the introduction of a new series of Iraqi dinar banknotes to be issued by the Central Bank of the Iraq to replace the currently circulating dinar banknotes; I hereby promulgate the following: Section 1 Definitions “CBI” means the Central Bank of Iraq. “Conversion Period” means the period of time from October 15, 2003, up to and including January 15, 2004. “Legal instrument” means any legally binding legislative or statutory provision, act of administration or regulation, judicial decision, contract, unilateral legal act, payment instrument other than a banknote, and any other document or instrument with legal effect. “Legal tender” means Iraqi dinar banknotes and coins issued by the CBI, that are valid and have not been repealed, which any debtor may legally use for payments of all public and private debts, public charges, taxes and dues of any amount denominated in Iraqi dinars and against which no creditor can legally refuse payment of any amount due to him or her denominated in Iraqi dinars.
    [Show full text]
  • Iraq's Perfect Storm
    JANUARY 2015 ISIS AND OIL: IRAQ’S PERFECT STORM By Frank R. Gunter Frank R. Gunter is a Professor of Economics at Lehigh University and a Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. This study is based on discussions at the November 2014 Iraq Economics, Development, and Policy program at the American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. However, the opinions expressed are entirely those of the author. The Arabic version of the author’s book The Political Economy of Iraq: Restoring Balance in a Post-Conflict Society (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2013), based on his two years in Iraq as an economic advisor, will be published in early 2015. The combination of the ISIS insurgency and low oil prices are producing an economic shock unprecedented in Iraq’s troubled history. The ongoing conflict will require a sharp rise in security expenditures at the same time that government oil export revenues are collapsing, forcing the government into deficit spending. This deficit spending, combined with a loss in reserves from the Central Bank of Iraq, calls into question the much-vaunted stability of the Iraqi dinar. In the eleven years since the U.S.-led invasion overthrew Saddam Hussein, Iraq has faced brutal conflict and sharp drops in oil prices but – until mid-2014 – never both at the same time. Following the destruction of the Golden Mosque, Iraq descended into what many analysts saw as a full-fledged civil war in 2006-7. However, not only was a large proportion of Iraqi security expenses paid for by the United States but also world oil prices rose sharply.
    [Show full text]
  • Iraqi Kurdistan
    Iraqi Kurdistan Iraqi Kurdistan Herêmî Kurdistan , ههرێمیکوردستان (Kurdish) (Arabic) إقليمكردستانالعراق Flag Coat of arms Anthem: Ey Reqîb (English: "Hey Guardian") Location of Iraqi Kurdistan (dark green) within Iraq Capital Arbil (and largest city) 36°11′N 44°00′E36.183°N 44°E Official language(s) Kurdish, Arabic[1] Other languages Neo-Aramaic [2] Demonym Iraqi, Government Parliamentary Democracy - President Massoud Barzani - Prime Minister Barham Salih Formation of Autonomous Region Iraqi Kurdistan - Autonomy accord agreement signed March 11, 1970 - Gained de facto independence October, 1991 - KRG established July 4, 1992 - The TAL recognized the autonomy of the KRG. January 30, 2005 Area 40,643 km2 - Total 15,692 sq mi Population - 2010 estimate 4,690,939[3] Currency Iraqi dinar is the official currency. (IQD) Time zone GMT+3 Drives on the Right Internet TLD .iq Calling code +964 إقليم كردستان العراق :, Herêmî Kurdistan; Arabic ههرێمیکوردستان :Iraqi Kurdistan or Kurdistan Region (Kurdish Iqlīm Kurdistān) is an autonomous region of Iraq.[4] It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north, Syria to the west and the rest of Iraq to the south. The regional capital is Arbil, known in Kurdish as Hewlêr. The region is officially governed by the Kurdistan Regional Government. The establishment of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq dates back to the March 1970 autonomy agreement between the Kurdish opposition and the Iraqi government after years of heavy fighting. The Iran-Iraq war during the 1980s and the Anfal genocide campaign of the Iraqi army devastated the population and nature of Iraqi Kurdistan. Following the 1991 uprising of the Iraqi people against Saddam Hussein, many Kurds were forced to flee the country to become refugees in bordering regions of Iran and Turkey.
    [Show full text]
  • Aaa8a3b0975f560dc1256df3
    TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 1 2.0. ROLE OF THE GOVERNING COUNCIL AND THE COALITION PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY................................................................................. 2 3.0. CHANGES TO LEGISLATION INTRODUCED BY THE COALITION PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY................................................................................. 4 3.1. Independence of the Judiciary ........................................................................ 5 3.2. Freedom of Expression and Association......................................................... 8 3.2.1. Amendments to the Penal Code............................................................... 8 3.2.2. De-Ba’athification.................................................................................... 9 3.3. Freedom of movement .................................................................................. 14 3.4. Language and access to information.............................................................. 15 3.5. Property disputes........................................................................................... 16 4.0. APPENDIX 1: Table of legal instruments introduced by the CPA and the delay in translation ............................................................................................................. 17 AI Index: MDE 14/176/2003 Amnesty International December 2003 Iraq Memorandum on concerns related to legislation introduced by the Coalition Provisional
    [Show full text]