Iraq: A Stage for Socio-Cultural Interaction between the Iranian and Turkish Elements

The history of interaction between the Iranian and Turkish elements in Iraq dates back to the age of Abbasid Caliphate. The Abbasid caliphs employed Turkish slaves, as a counterpart for Iranian bureaucrats, to create proportionate political atmosphere in their caliphate court. Despite the passing of many centuries, Iraq turned out to be a land where Iranian and Turkish policies went through phases of encounter, rivalry and occasionally cooperation.Nowadays, with the sweeping change in Iraqi political system and the collapse of Baghdad, those old relations has started to resurface once again. The article seeks to study the closest historical period in the light of archived documents and prepare a report on the current status of relations.