Present Iraq is what the Greek called Mesopotamia "The land Between the Two Rivers " in ancient times. This land is also called the "Cradle of Civilization", because it was in Iraq that the very first civilized society in the history of human being developed in about 4000-5000 BCE with the Sumerians followed by the Babylonians and the Assyrians. Ancient Iraqi Scientists of Sumerian Empire invented sophisticated irrigation systems and created the first cereal agriculture as well as the earliest writing in the type known as cuneiform. They invented the wheel, the first plow, early calendars, developed a math system based on the numeral 60, which was the basis of time in modern world. They also invented the city state system and the worship of Gods and Goddesses. Babylonian Scientist originated the Banking System. Ancient Iraqi writers recorded literature, poetry, mythology and produced epics.
Throughout ancient Mesopotamian history, Iraqi scientists developed formal education which was extended from basic reading, writing, and religion to higher learning in law, medicine, and astrology. Ancient Iraqi legislators also invented the first code of law during the Babylonian period. Akkadian, Babylonian, Chaldean and Assyrian artists and architects established an artistic tradition in sculpture and architecture that influenced subsequent civilizations for centuries.
The vigor of Iraqi Scientific achievements though subdued for a period of time, but only to come back in full power in Medieval time. While Europe was still deep in the dark ages, Arab and Muslim scientists were fully engaged in building the foundations of modern science, technology, philosophy, art, literature and other academicfronts.
In Baghdad, the capital of the Abbasite Empire, as well as in Musil, Kufa, and Basrah, scholars were busy accomplishing scientific achievements. Bellow is a short biographical accounts of some important Iraqi and Arab scientists and scholars who were either born and raised in Iraq or traveled, educated, and worked in Iraq.

Jabir Ibn Hayyan, called Father of Chemistry practiced medicine and alchemy in Kufa. He wrote
tremendous number of scholarly treatises in chemistry and alchemy. The development of chemistry in Europe can be traced directly to Jabir Ibn Haiyan. He died in Kufa in 803 C.E.

Mohammed Ibn Ishaq, was one of the authority on the early history Islam. He was born in Medina in 704 C.E., traveled to Egypt, and other cultural centers and finally settled in Baghdad and spent hislife there untill his death in 767 C. E. Ibn Ishaq wrote books on the life of the Prophet Mohammed, and on the history of Early period in Islam.

‘Abd Al-Malik Al-Asma`i, the famous philologist, was born in Basrah in 740 C.E,. The first Muslim scientist who contributed to Zoology, Botany and Animal Husbandry.

Hisham Ibn Al-Sa'ib Al-Kalbi, was a historian and chronicler, born, raised and died in Kufa (737-819). He was educated in Kufa and stayed in Baghdad during the reign of the Khalifah Al-Mahdi. Beside his proficiency in Arabic, he had access to Aramic, Pahlavi, and South Arabian dialects. He was interested in all branches of knowledge, acquainted with exegesis, historical traditions and chronicles of the ancient people. He also had knowledge and access to Biblical and Palmyran sources. Ibn Al-Kalbi wrote many books in different fields and subjects.

Mohammed Al-Khawarizmi, the inventor of Algorithm ( so named after his last name) worked in Baghdad and died there around 840 C.E. . The term Algebra is derived from his famous book Al-Jabr wa Al-Muqabalah. In Geography Al-Khawarizmi revised and corrected Ptolemy's view and produced the first mape of the known world in 830 C. E. He worked on measuring the volume and circumference of the earth, and contributed to work related to clocks, sundials and astrolabes.

Mohammed Ibn `Umar Al-Waqidi, a major historian, was born in Medina in 747 C. E. He wrote many books on history and legal civil matters. His merit lies mainly in his transmission of a very large amount of historical material and in fixing its chronology.

'Amr ibn Bakr Al-Basri Al-Jahidh, was born in Basra in 776 C.E. He studied in Basra, moved to Baghdad where he worked at the court of the Khalifah. His work included Zoology, Arabic Grammar, Poetry, Rhetoric and Lexicography. He died in Basra in 868 when a pile of books collapsed on him in his private library.

Mohammed Ibn Sa`d, was a historian and a biographer born in Basra in 784 C. E. He traveled in search of traditions and studied under many authorities. Later he settled in Baghdad and attached himself to Al-Waqidi and became his secretary and transmitted his works. He also studied under Ibn Al-Kalbi. He died in Baghdad in 845 C. E.

Yaqub Ibn Ishaq Al-Kindi, was born in Kufa in 800 C.E. and spent his long career in Baghdad. He was a philosopher, astronomer, physician, mathematician, physicist, and geographer. He also was an expert in music. Al-Kindi was the first physician who systematically determined the dosage for most drugs.

Ahmed Ibn Yahya Al-Baladhuri, was one of the greatest Arab historians of the 9th century. He was probably born and spent most of his life in Baghdad and its environs until his death in 892 C. E. He was a companion of the Abbasite Khalifah Al-Mutawakkil , and Al-Musta`in bi Allah. He is known for his ability to translate from Persian to Arabic. He wrote tremendous amount of books of historical nature.

Thabit Ibn Qurrah Al-Harrani, is known for his work on mechanics, astronomy, pure mathematics and geometry. He was born in 836 C.E. at Harran and died in Baghdad in 901 C.E. He joined the scientific team of the great mathematician Muhammad Ibn Musa Ibn Shakir at Baghdad. He translated many Greek and Syrian works on Science into Arabic. Among his translations into Arabic are the Ptolemy's Almagest, Euclid's Elements of Geometry, Apollonius's book on conic sections, and some of Archimedes' works.

Mohammed Ibn Jarir Al-Tabari, was an Arab historian, educated at Baghdad, Basra, Kufa, Egypt and Syria. He settled in Baghdad and died there (839-923). He also ecceled in writing, exegesis, peotry, lexicography, grammer, ethics, mathematics and medicine.

Muhammad Ibn Jabir Al-Battani, was a famous astronomer and mathematician who has been recognized as the greatest astronomer of his time and one of the greatest of the Middle Ages. He was born around 858 C.E. in Harran. Later he migrated to Samarra in Iraq, where he worked until his death in 929 C.E. Al-Battani's greatest fame came in Mathematics with the use of trigonometric ratios as we used them today.

AL-Mas`udi, was a historian and geographer and one of the most celebrated authors of the tenth century. He was born in Baghdad and died in Egypt in 956 C. E. His literary activity, in addition to philology and theology, touched on almost all the field of interest of his time, particularly natural philosophy, ethics and politics as well as genealogy.

Abu Bakr Muhammad Ibn Zakariya Ar-Razi, was born at Ray in 864 C.E. He pursued the study of alchemy and chemistry, philosophy, logic, mathematics and physics. It was the field of medicine that he spent most of his life, practicing it, studying and writing about it. He was appointed head of the physicians of the Ray Hospital, and later put in charge of the Baghdad main Hospital during the reign of the Khalifah `Idhd Al-Daulah. He was also an expert surgeon and was the first to use opium for anesthesia. Al-Razi is the first physician to write on smallpox and chickenpox in his celebrated treatise intitled "Al-Judari wa Al-Hasabah"

Abu Al-Nasr Al-Farabi, was born in 870 C.E. After completing his education at Farab and Bukhara, he moved to Baghdad for higher studies. Here, he studied several languages, science and technology, and philosophy. He also traveled to Damascus and Egypt for further studie and died in Damascus in 950 C.E.
Al-Frabi's major contribution is in logic, Philosophy, Sociology, Mathematics, Science, Medicine, and Music. He was an expert in music, contributed to musical notes and invented several musical instruments. His book on music, entitled 'Kitab Al-Musiqa,' is a great testimony to his talent.

Abu Al-Faraj `Ali Ibn Al-Husain Al-Isbahani, also called al-Isfahani, was an Arab historian, intellectual and poet. He was born in Isbahan (Isfahan) of Arab parents in 897 C. E., studied in Baghdad, settled and died there in 967 C. E. His main work, which took him fifteen years to finish, is Kitab Al-Aghani, or book of songs where he collected the songs that had been chosen, by order of the Khalifah Harun Al-Rashid by the famous musicians of Mosul. Al- Aghani is a massive social and historical coverage of the Arabic civilization from the pre-Islamic period down to the end of the ninth century.

Mohammed Ibn Abi Ishaq Ibn Ya`qub Al-Warraq, known as Ibn Al-Nadim was born in Baghdad in 935 C. E. and traveled to Basra, Kufa, Musil and Halab and enjoyed a comprehensive education, mastering the conventional Islamic studies, history, geography, comparative religions and the Greek science. He spent tremendous time collecting information, compiling data and cataloging entries for his massive work Al-Fihrist, which was intended to be an index of all books written in Arabic from the early time of Islam up to his time. He died in 990 C. E.

Abu Ali Hasan Ibn al-Haitham, is considered the Father of Modern Optics, was born in 965 C.E. in Basrah, and received his education in Basrah and Baghdad.. He was one of the most eminent physicists, whose contributions to optics and the scientific methods are outstanding. Ibn al-Haitham traveled to Egypt and Spain. He spent most of his life in Spain, where conducted research in optics, mathematics, physics, medicine and the development of scientific methods.

Abu Al-Hasan Al-Mawardi, was one of the most famous thinkers in political science in the Middle Ages. He was also a great sociologist and jurist. Al-Mawardi was born in 972 C.E. in Basrah. He went to Baghdad for advanced studies and became proficient in ethics, political science, jurisprudence, and literature. He served as Chief Justice at Baghdad and was appointed as ambassador of the Abbasid Khalifah to several important and powerful Muslim states.

`Izz Al-Din `Ali Ibn Mohammed Ibn Al-Athir, was agreat historian born in Jazira and died in Musil (1160-1234). He studied in Baghdad and Musil and traveled in Syria, devoting his life to scholarship. Ibn Al-Athir wrote many books but his famous work is Al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh, "Perfection in History," which is a historic chronicle and compilation of great value.

Abu Marwan Abd al-Malik Ibn Zuhr, was one of the greatest physicians, clinicians and parasitologist of the Middle Ages. Some historians of science have declared him as the greatest among the Muslim physicians since Al-Razi.
Ibn Zuhr was born at Seville, Spain in 1091 C.E. He graduated from Cordoba (Qurtubah) Medical University. He stayed in Baghdad and Cairo, and later returned to Andalus and worked as a physician. He devoted his career in Seville (Ishbilyah) and died in 1161 C.E.

Muhammad Ibn Al-Hasan Nasir Al-Din al-Tusi, was a greatest scientist, mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, theologian and physician and a prolific writer of his time. He wrote many treatises on such varied subjects as Algebra, Arithmetic, Trigonometry, Geometry, Logic, Metaphysics, Medicine, Ethics, and theology. In 1262, he built an observatory at Meragha and directed its activity. It was equipped with the best instruments from Baghdad and other Islamic centers of learning. He invented many instruments included Astrolabes, representations of constellation, epicycles, and shapes of spheres. At the end of his long outstanding career, he moved to Baghdad and died there in 1274.

Mahmud Ibn Yahya Al-Wasiti, a great artist and illustrator of the famous Maqamat Al-Hariri. He was probably born in Musil and worked in Baghdad during the thirteen century. His illustrations are considered to be a stylistic break through in the history of art.
In recent time Iraq continued this tradition of excellence in science and knowledge. Iraqi scientists, academicians, and intellects have resumed this mission at home and abroad to persevere this tradition of excellence through assertive effort to advance in every field of human activity.

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