Alternate History: What If Iraq Got Independence Early

Point of Departure: 1700

Brief Background: The Ottomans won the Battle of Chaldeiran in 1517 and also in the same year, they
won a series of battles against the Mamluk Dynasty of Egypt and the Abbasid Caliphate remnants in
Egypt and then, most of the Middle East was conquered and Iraq was conquered in 1534 in the reign of
Suleiman the 1st , but in the 1600s, revolts by various tribes and an invasion by the Safavids seized Iraq
from Ottoman control, but the Ottomans retrieved Iraq back under their control and then in 1704,
Mamluks from Georgia who were converted to Islam seized Iraq and the Ottomans gave the autonomy of
Mamluk Iraq to the Mamluks.

[ This document is for fun only. It is not used to offend anyone’s nation or religion, Enjoy]

Mamluk Eyalets [1704-1731]

1st Pasha: Hasan Pasha [1704-1723]

Last Pasha: Ahmed Pasha [1723-1731]

Hasan Pasha led the Mamluks to seize Iraq in the beginning of the 18th century, forcing the Ottomans
to give him autonomy and even before Mamluk rule, Iraq wasn’t fully integrated into the Ottoman
empire. That is the reason that the Safavids and the various revolts and invasions were significant. Hasan
Pasha imposed agricultural reforms in Baghdad and Basra Eyalets and the unrecognized eyalet of
Shahrazoor in modern day Erbil and Sulaymaniyah so , he was popular with the Iraqi people who
supported independence movements, but these movements operated in secret because of the Janissaries
who patrolled Baghdad and crushed earlier revolts while the Jalili Dynasty ruled Mosul Eyalet remained
under strong Ottoman influence.

January Movement [1710-1712]

On January 17th 1710, a group of Iraqis established an independence movement in Baghdad and they
clashed with the Janissaries in the streets. The January movement were supported by the Safavids and
some Shia Iraqis and also, they received unofficial support from the Pasha himself who supported some
movements for independence from the Ottomans , but after a popular uprising in summer of 1712, the
sultan ordered the army to capture the leaders of the uprising and they were publicly hanged, ending the
movement after 22 months.
 Hasan Pasha’s late reign was not very significant, but he stayed on the sultan’s good side and then, the
bubonic plague struck Baghdad in 1723 and Hasan Pasha and his heir came down with it and they died
aged both 55 and 20

Independence of Iraq [January 17th 1731]

Ahmed Pasha’s reign [1723-1731]

Ahmed Pasha was hunting in the south of Iraq when news struck him that his father and elder brother died
so, he was summoned to Baghdad by the Ottoman sultan Mahmud the 1st where he told him about unrest
that is happening in Baghdad and the earlier uprising of January Movement. Ahmed cracked down on
Shias because of looming threats of Safavid invasions and the later Afsharid Dynasty established by Nadir
Shah, because of this, Shia Iraqis clashed with the Janissaries and some clerics from Karbala stormed the
Pasha’s palace demanding new reforms and also, Kurds revolted in the north and with the support of the
Russian Empire, they tried to declare independence as a Russian client state , but they were suppressed
and Ahmed Pasha was captured in 1725 and almost killed , but the sultan and the grand vizir cohered the
rebels into submission and the Damascus Treaty was signed, giving Shia Iraqis more governing rights and
equality to other races

1726- 1727 Revolt of Jews

The Jews were unsatisfied with Ahmed’s policy of how other religions were treated in his realm, so they
staged up revolts in Baghdad and in Jalili Mosul, demanding reforms to the system. At first, the
Janissaries crushed the revolt , but soon, Christians and Shia Muslims revolted and Ahmed Pasha escaped
to Istanbul where he sought protection under the Sultan who sent troops to crush the Abrahamic Uprising
[named this because of Jews, Christians and Muslims being Abrahamic religions] and then, everything
went silent until 1730 where the Ottomans faced some Balkan revolts so, Ahmed Pasha took the chance to
stage a war against the Ottomans for independence and he was successful where he crossed to Anatolia
and the Sultan was forced to sue for peace in the Treaty of Baghdad where Iraq was declared a sultanate
on January 18th 1731 under Ahmed the 1st who ruled Iraq as an absolute monarchy and they will introduce
democracy when the situation is stable.

Sultanate of Iraq [ 1731- 1920]

1st sultan: Ahmed the 1st [ 1731-1749]

Last sultan: Suleiman the 3rd [ 1908-1920]

Early years and Kuwaiti union

 Ahmed the 1st introduced some reforms to the state and offered education for his citizens and sent
young Iraqis to Austria for education of the outside world and then, in 1736, Iraq attacked the Al Sabah
family for allying with the Ottomans and raiding some Iraqi territory so, Al Sabah family decided to unite
with the ruling sultan and so, in 1738, Iraq was reorganized into 4 eyalets: Baghdad, Basra, Shahrazoor
and Kuwait [who was autonomous] and then, Ahmed the 1st decided to attack the Arabian tribes on the
peninsula because it was divided between various sheikhdoms and tribes and also, the Ottomans had a
strong presence there and the Iraqis wanted to become a dominant power in the Arabian peninsula so, in
1740, they attacked the northern parts and forced tribes into submission, gaining minor gains and
extending Iraq to the modern border a bit and some parts of Saudi Arabia

Reforms for life standards [ 1745-1776]

In 1745, Ahmed the 1st reformed the Iraqi army and modernized it a bit, but it was still using swords,
but by the help of Great Britain and Prussia, it tried to modernize the army and then in 1749, Ahmed the
1st died from dysentery aged 65, but he didn’t have any sons and had only one daughter, Halima, who was
married off to the grandson of Hasan Pasha’s brother. Halima’s husband named Abu Layla, claimed the
throne as the most senior claimant to the throne and was crowned Suleiman the 1 st who continued the
reforms and introduced new creations for agriculture and also, he continued raids on the tribes allied with
the Ottomans and also, he established relations with the Ottomans and peace continued.

Reign of Suleiman the 1st [1749-1780]

His reign started fairly good and Iraq prospered in peace and also, Saudi tribesmen agreed not to raid
Iraq anymore and the people are now happy with their sultan and also, Iraq established relations with its
neighbor to the east: The Afsharids, which had conquered parts of eastern Iraq since the reign of Nader
Shah and then, after Nader Shah’s death and the death of Adel Shah and before the Zand Uprising, the
Afsharids agreed to cede some parts to the Sultanate of Iraq, but Iraq still wanted Khuzestan because it
had a number of Persian Arabs and it needs to be freed from the Shahdom, but Iraqi demands were
ignored for now. Suleiman the 1st encouraged trade with other parts of the world and even, he traded with
the Indian subcontinent and European colonies and one of the lead explorers in the reign of Suleiman the
1st was Ahmed Idris Duraid who recorded his travels in his diaries [Caution: Some names in this scenario
are fictional and thus, are not real people and the relations between the Mamluk Sultans are also fictional
so, they shouldn’t be confused with real-life relations or people]. After the Zands established themselves,
Iraq tried to secure its borders because if the Zands got too powerful and wanted to regain its claimed
territories, then Iraq will have a bad time and so, Suleiman the 1st was seen as a national hero in his
homeland and in 1760, he visited the Ottoman capital of Istanbul and met with the Sultan there and then,
he visited France and met with Louis XV himself and then in 1762, he went to Kuwait and with his two
sons, Muhammed and Abdullah to meet with the Sheikh there so, Sultan Suleiman the 1 st traveled a lot by
boat and also, he rode camels to perform Hajj at Mecca and also, he visited Medina and prayed at the
tomb of Muhammed and also, he declared that all religions are welcome in Iraq and Islam was the state
religion which was declared in 1770 and also, Sultan Suleiman the 1st made numerous reforms to the
vilayets of Iraq which now became: Baghdad, Shahrazoor, Basra, Kuwait [extended by some new
territories] and Southern Iraq Vilayet which composed of the earlier sultans’ conquest of raiders in the
northern parts of what’s today Saudi Arabia. In the summer of 1779, Sultan Suleiman the 1 st was attending
a meeting when he had a stroke and died aged 73.

Suleiman Pasha the Great’s Reign: [1780-1802]

Establishment of the city of Sulaymaniyah [1781]

After Suleiman the 1st died, he was succeeded by his nephew Suleiman Pasha who became Sultan
Suleiman the 2nd, who seized power from the sons of the earlier sultan and exiled them and also, more
reforms were continued to ramp out corruption in the state and also, non-Muslims were required to pay a
jizya tax to the state , but they were granted dhimmi rights, especially the Christians and the Assyrians,
but unlike his predecessor, he cracked down harshly on Jews, who were having a bad time during the 18 th
century and also, he established a new capital in the north named Sulaymaniyah after his name and also,
he scored various victories against the Saudi states and the emirates around the peninsula and also, he
went with the English-Ottoman treaty that permits traders the freedom to travel on Iraqi lands and set up a
trading hub in Basra and in 1784, the British consulate opened for the first time in Baghdad and then in
1787, The Russo-Turkish War started in which the Crimean Khanate was conquered and the Ottomans
were almost expelled from the Caucasus and as the Ottomans were distracted by the Russians, Iraqi
troops seized the city of Gaziantep and occupied it and as the Ottomans signs the peace treaty with
Russia, they turn their attention to Iraq and as tensions occur because the Ottomans wanted the city back,
war was inevitable

First Iraqi-Ottoman War [1788-1790]

The Ottomans had 60k soldiers around the Iraqi border and also, they sent 3k soldiers to capture
Gaziantep back. Iraq on the other hand had only 24k soldiers in this harsh battle and was underdeveloped
a bit in comparison to the Ottomans and the first battle was fought near Iran and the Ottomans scored two
victories against the Iraqis , but at the Battle of Ibrahim Khalil, the outnumbered Iraqis won and also, at
the battle for Gaziantep, they won and protected the city, but Jalili Mosul joined the fight and the Iraqis
lost the battle , but they kept their sovereignty and won a battle near the border of Jalili Mosul and after
two years of exhaustion, Jalili Mosul and the Ottomans sued for peace after a Great Britain brokered deal
to protect Iraq was accepted and Jalili Mosul gave concessions and ceded small parts from its land to Iraq
and the Ottoman- Iraqi border was redrawn and Iraq ceded some parts of Duhok to the Ottomans and
gained parts that are around Gaziantep and the city was returned to the Ottomans in 1791 , but after some
unrest, the borders were returned to their original state before the war and Turks settled with Kurds in
Northern Iraq.

British Era and First British Takeover [1798-1804]

In 1794, Robespierre’s reign of terror ended and in Europe, the French Revolutionary Wars were
looming on the horizon and Iraq decided to become neutral regarding European politics for now and a
Russian delegation visited Iraq and they agreed on military trainings and then, in 1798, France invaded
Egypt and outclassed the Ottomans, but the Iraqis came to the help for the Ottomans and with British
support, they showed Napoleon who’s boss and then, in 1802, Suleiman Pasha the Great died, aged 81,
ending Iraq’s era of greatness.

The General Government of Iraq [1802-1804]

1st Consul: Harford Johns [1802-1803]

Last Consul: George Makon [1804]

The British, who were supporting Suleiman Pasha the Great and fortified the Channal, decided to take
over Baghdad from its consulate and using Harford Johns’s position as Consul to take over because Iraq
had a strategic position in the Middle East and it could have viable resources that could benefit the
British, but their plans were failing because the Iraqis, who were oppressed under the Ottomans, were not
keen for a foreign nation ruling over them so, they staged coups and they tried to introduce democracy to
the nation, but they failed after a coup by Said Salih who took over from the British and established a
republic after he consolidated power.

Republic of Iraq [1805]

Head of State: Said Salih [1805]

Said Salih’s reign was cut short after Omar, the brother of Suleiman the Great who was 72 years old,
raised an army in Sulaymaniyah to retake his family’s throne and the Army was led by his son, Mahmud
who won decisive battles and won the desire of his people and the 21 year old designated crown prince
won the heart of many girls, who admired him after his victory at the Siege of Baghdad, where Salih was
captured and he was killed by artillery when he tried to escape and so, the reign of Omar the 1 st started
and the Sultanate returned [After closing the British Consulate, it was reopened in 1830 after restoration
of relations]

Omar the 1st reign [1805-1809]

Omar’s reign was very short, but he reestablished the state and introduced many reforms and also, he
purchased a small cottage in Diyarbakir where he enjoyed his summertime while Mahmud ran most of the
country and in 1808, the sultan fell very ill because, at that point he was 75 and sick so, he introduced the
new position of Moudaber Al Shoon Al Duwaliyah Al Iraqiya [which means Director of Iraqi State
Affairs] which was held by the crown prince or any other member of the Mamluks and in 1809, Omar
died, leaving his throne to the handsome and young Mahmud

Mahmud the 1st’s reign [1809-1881]

Trade reforms and the invasion of Bessarabia [1810-1812]

Mahmud invaded a lot of the Arabian Peninsula, but he wasn’t able to subjugate the Saudis there and
also, he saw how the Russians gained victory over the Ottomans in 1810-1812 and Bessarabia was ceded
to Russia and after all of that, Mahmud decided to make Sunnis and Shias live in harmony with Christians
and other minorities joining in and also, Iraq focused on trade with the Indian Subcontinent and also,
Mahmud married a Mughal princess and together, they had 12 children 7 daughters and 5 sons. The
eldest, Dawud, his father’s heir and also, Mahmud oversaw the creation of a house of affairs in 1821

Democracy Introduction [1831-1845]

In 1829, the house of affairs had a meeting with the sultan about the promises of Ahmed Pasha for
democracy so, democracy was planned to be introduced in Iraq by late 1831, but problems were brewing
nearby. Jalili Mosul’s family were killed by cannon fire of Ali Reza, a supreme commander in the
Ottoman Empire and so, he declared Jalili Mosul an independent state with him as head of state and he
planned to take over Iraq and parts of the Ottoman Empire and so, he received the support of Egypt in his
conquest against Iraq, but Great Britain sent troops to help Iraq against Ali Reza and after the raid on
Mosul, Ali Reza was captured and Mosul was divided between Iraq and the Ottomans and so, in 1831 the
first election occurred with Sami Abdullah as premier and he enacted more democratic reforms and
formed ties with other Islamic states and also, the sultan visited Constantinople and met with the Ottoman
Sultan, Abdulmajid in 1840 and also, the two monarchs agreed to establish a new confederacy represented
by Arabs and Turks , but as the Ottomans lost Algeria and very soon, they will lose other local Arabic
territories so, the confederation was scrapped and as tensions formed between Persia and the Ottomans
even more and also, in 1845 after the formation of Issam Al Melli’s government, a raid on the Bab Ali
ensured by none other than Ali Reza himself.

Raid on Bab Ali [1845]

Ali Reza Pasha’s reign [1845-1867]

Ali Reza was freed from his imprisonment in 1839 and he ran for premier in the 1843 election, but was
outvoted by Issam Al Melli’s party and Ali Reza wanted power from the new government and to enact
new reforms and to end rivalries between local Sunni and Shia communities [Ali Reza was a Shia
himself] so, he raided the Bab Ali palace and took over the government as the sultan was sent the news of
Ali Reza’s takeover, he was horrified and after two weeks, Ali Reza dissolved elections in Iraq and
consolidated power with the sultan only as figurehead and he declared that the Ottomans should lose in
Europe and hand over Gaziantep to Iraq and then, he supported Bedir Khan Beg against the Ottomans and
also, met with the Serbian Princes in Baghdad and told them to never give up for their struggles to
independence. Also, he enacted various economic reforms and ordered British explorers to traverse the
river Tigris for a surveying of its length and he cracked down harshly on opposition and then, he visited
the river Euphrates and decided to build a new palace over the river, but was repelled by outcry from
tribes living around the Euphrates because their homes will be demolished and then, he severed all
relations with the Ottomans and declared himself the true Khalifa in 1850 because of his claim of descent
from Imam Ali, who was the true first Khalifa and Imam of the Shia community where Ali Reza comes
from so, he launched a campaign of raids around the Hejaz and the Emirate of Riyadh and in 1854, he
entered Medina with 13000 men to take over it and also, he sent 3000 men to Mecca to occupy it, but the
Ottomans ended the siege and repelled Ali Reza Pasha’s army away from the two holy cities and then, the
emirate of Riyadh partitioned his Arabian Peninsula territories with the Ottomans, keeping only the 1766
conquests and we saw the cracks in the invincible Ali Reza Pasha

Second Iraqi-Ottoman War [1861-1867]

As the years went by with Ali Reza Pasha’s reign, unrest started to brew in Iraq because of the
authoritarian reign and as Ali Reza demanded claims from the Ottomans, tensions started to brew between
the sultanates and then, on March 10th 1861, Iraq declared war on the Ottomans and then, battles ensures
such as the Ottoman victory at the Battle of Hamdaniya and the Iraqi triumph at the battle of Gaziantep
and then, the Saudis decided to join the war to aid the Ottomans and try to retrieve the old territories that
were seized by Iraq so, Iraq was forced to fight on two fronts and it started to capitulate against the Saudis
while it entered a stalemate with the Ottomans and then, at the Battle of Karbala, the Iraqi army crushed
the Saudis who wanted to seize the holy cities of Iraq, but they failed and were pushed back to the border
of their territories and then, the Iraqi army reached Trabzon, but the people were tired from the war and
so, a 2nd raid supported by the Ottomans on the Bab Ali Palace, which ousted Ali Reza Pasha from power
and he was killed as he tried to escape and so, a new government was formed by Adeeb Ahmed to end the
war and some borders were drawn between the Saudis and Iraq and then, the Sultans meet in Ankara and
sign the Treaty of Trabzon which ensures that all of Mosul is part of Iraq and parts of modern Syria are
added to Iraq.

Era of Peace [1868-1881]

Mahmud’s late reign was significant and he purged supporters of Ali Reza around the country and the
country prospered after some reforms of the army, Iraq prospered and it sent an expedition to Zanzibar for
trade and it was considered as a vassal of Iraq, but in 1880, Iraq couldn’t keep up its money for the island
so, it was freed and then, Iraq’s era of greatness and peace ended with the death of Mahmud at the age of
97 and he was succeeded by his grandson, Mehmed.

Mehmed the 1st’s reign [1881-1891]

Mehmed’s reign started by various events, mainly a Kurdish rebellion and he expelled more Jews from
Iraq and now, Iraq has signs friendship treaties with the Saudis and Iran and also, foreign companies
prospered in Iraq and also, the democratic standards were fairly good in Iraq and also, now, it became a
constitutional monarchy from 1886 and then, Iraq sent delegations to the Balkan nations to improve
relations with the new kingdoms of Romania and Serbia and Greece and also, Montenegro and they
improved relations with the Principality of Bulgaria and then, nothing significant happened until 1890
when Mehmed fell fatally ill with smallpox and then, he died.

Ali the 1st’s reign [1891-1900]

Ali’s reign was started by a joint agreement between the UK, Germany and the Ottomans to build a
railroad that connects Baghdad and Basra to Bordeaux and Paris and the foundations were built for the
project in 1895 and constitutionalism was a constant in Iraq from now on and also, the conflict of Qatif
occurred where the Saudis raided an Iraqi village on the lands of Qatif which were divided by Iraq and the
Saudis, who were establishing dominance because our sick man of Europe is getting worse and it was a
brutal conflict where it ended as a draw for both sides and then, in 1899, the premier resigned for
suspicious reasons and also, the Bab Ali palace was raided for a 2nd time by the crown prince, who
justified power for the monarch but, elections stayed in place and he forced his father to abdicate and
then, he declared himself as Sultan Hasan the 2nd

Hasan the 2nd’s reign [1900-1908]

 As Hasan became sultan, he restored absolutism to Iraq and also, threatened any party to be banned if
they opposed him and also, Ali died in 1903 because of dysentery and then, Hasan raised the ethnic unrest
because of his harsh policies and then, he suppressed the protests and made a grand tour around the
Middle East and also, he met with local Georgians in the Russian Empire and he also met the Persian
Shah in Tehran, where both of them denounced the Ottomans, who became a sick man of Europe at this
point, but as constitutionalism spreads across the Middle East, the Iraqi people wanted to model others in
drafting a new constitution, but the sounds remained silent and then, a political crisis occurred when the
crown prince mysteriously disappeared in Kuwait City after a trip around the country and then, he was
found shot to death in the deserts that are near Safwan and then, the sultan was outraged and ordered the
Nawab of Kuwait [who was an autonomous ruler in Iraq] to investigate the situation and if the culprit
doesn’t hand himself in 49 hours, very bad things are going to happen and then, Amir Ali was captured
after 1 day and he was killed by firing squad and when the sultan discovered that Amir was a Shia, he
ordered a massacre of Shias and even threatened to destroy the town of Karbala and this caused outrage in
the country and so, the Iraqi revolution started

Iraqi Revolution of 1908 [1908]

The people were raged after the crackdowns of the Sultan and the absolutism in the country and also, the
hostility of the Sunni court against Shias of the country and then, at the end of the year, the sultan was
captured and assassinated by revolutionaries who drafted a new constitution and inaugurated the Sultan’s
second cousin, Suleiman the 3rd

Suleiman the 3rd’s reign [1908-1920]

Early reign and WW1 neutrality [1909-1915]

After the chaotic revolution, Iraq stabilized a bit until the chaos in the region with the 1 st and 2nd Balkan
Wars and then, after some years, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by a Serb nationalist,
leading Austria Hungary to go to war with Serbia and WW1 started and at first, Iraq and the Ottomans
were neutral in the war , but in 1914, the Ottomans conducted a surprise raid on the Black Sea ports of
Russia, which made the Ottomans officially join the Central Powers which soured relations with Iraq
because it favored the Entente and so on March 29 1915, Iraq joined the war on the side of the Entente
and the fighting ensured

WW1 campaigns [1915-1918]

Iraq and the Ottomans had some minor border skirmishes at the beginning of the war, but after the
Ottomans got ready to invade Iraq , but were repelled at the Battle of Van and then, battles ensured and
the Iraqis tried to stand off against the Ottomans, but while the Ottomans are the sick man of Europe, they
surprised everyone by repelling both of Russia and Iraq and it invaded the north of Iraq, easily taking
Duhok and Khabur down while a standoff of joint British-Iraqi troops at the city of Jerusalem ensured,
but the battles were harsh and even both sides suffered lots of casualties and after Iraq recovered its cities
and the Ottomans were squished by multiple fronts and so, in 1917, after their decisive loss at Jerusalem,
they occupied lots of northern Iraq while from the south, Britain and Saudi Arabia occupied the collapsed
Iraqi state, who lost all of its southern territories to Saudi Arabia and then after the Ottomans were
disarmed, Britain and France decided to divide the Middle East between them by using the Sykes Picot
Pact which gave Britain Iraq, Kuwait, Palestine and Jordan while France got Syria and Lebanon and so,
the borders of the Iraqi state were partitioned by Britain and France’s spheres of influence and by 1918,
Iraq had only a small part of its territory intact and free from European control

Total collapse [1919-1920]

After 1919, Britain and France swooped and took the Middle East for themselves and they established a
protectorate over the remaining Iraqi territory in the southern desert and the Iraqi people protested about
the British betraying everyone and only caring for their own interests and as the San Remo Conference
was held which made the British mandate official, the Sultan and his two sons protested and told the
British that they should leave the Middle East with France also doing so and why did they let the Saudis
go and then by 1920, a revolution ensured for Iraqi independence occurred, but was crushed by the
British, but in the nearby French mandate of Syria, a Hashemite prince named Faisal who is a son of the
Sharif of Mecca, staged a revolution to establish a Syrian state and try to unify Arabia

Arab Kingdom of Syria [1921-1936]

First King: Faisal the 1st [1921-1933]

Last King: Ghazi the 1st [1933-1936]

1st Prime Minister: Fakhreddin Pasha [1929-1933]

Last Prime Minister: Adib Ahmed [1933-1936]

1920 Syrian Revolution [1920-1921]

Faisal had controlled huge chunks of the French mandate , but the French were modernized and even
stronger than Faisal’s army who were a majority nomads, but they made the situation hellfire to the
French who pleaded the British for help, but the British were busy trying to stop the Mamluk Sultan
supporting rebels so, they didn’t help the French and as the situation was at the verge of collapse, the
French acknowledged Faisal’s rights and left Syria and Lebanon and handed Antakya over to the Turks
after rejection of the treaty of Sevres

Establishment of the state and modernization [1922-1930]

The king signed a peace treaty with France which recognized the state and then, he focused on
modernization of the state with 65 percent of Syria having access to electricity and he made education
free for children under the age of 13 and tried to make the literacy rate high in his country and then, he
felt that Antakya belongs to Syria and while the Ankara Government was at war with Greece, Faisal
seized Antakya and annexed it after a treaty with Mustafa Kemal’s government and then, Faisal focused
on relations with Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Yemen and also, he campaigned for the rights of a Palestinian
state and refused what the Jews were doing and he established the first Arab constitution which promised
the freedom of religion and the introduction of democracy very soon. The Syrian kingdom recognized
only Islam and Christianity as official religions and gave special treatment to the Jews and Druze
populations and he introduced agricultural reforms with new modern farming equipment imported from
Britain and he decided to go on a grand tour around Europe: visiting Italy, Turkey, Romania, Switzerland,
France and the UK before deciding to return by boat from Dover and what did he see there was something
that let him try to model the architecture there so, he enacted more reforms and his son, Ghazi
campaigned for the establishment of a Palestinian state and he even rivalled the Europeans whom were
colonizing the Middle East and in 1929, an Iraqi insurgency occurred where the two sons of the Mamluk
Sultan revolted against British rule in Iraq so, Faisal decided to intervene

Syrian-Mamluk War [1930-1933]

Faisal mobilized his army at the Iraqi border, but he didn’t support the Iraqis or the British. He
intervened in Iraq because of the rivalry between the Hashemites and the Mamluks and after the British
collapsed in Iraq, they decided to do new things in the Middle East: Give all of Iraq to Syria and also,
after some time: unify Transjordan with Iraq and Syria and then, partition Palestine. After a series of
battles, Syria gained victory and defeated the Mamluks and then, after the capture of Basra, the Damascus
Settlement was declared which unified the Kingdom of Syria with Iraq into a new union and in 1933,
while at Switzerland, King Faisal the 1st died and everyone mourned him in Syria and Iraq and his
brother, Abdullah the emir of Transjordan declared mourning in his country.

Kingdom of Iraq, Syria and Transjordan [1937-1958]

First King: Ghazi the 1st [1937-1940]

Last King: Faisal the 2nd [1940-1958]

First Prime Minister: Nuri Al Said [1937-1940]

Last Prime Minister: Adib Al Shikashilli [1953-1958]

Regent: Abdallah [1940-1953]

Ghazi the 1st’s reign [1933-1940]

The prime minister, Abdul Rahman Sadiq gave his respects to the new king for his dead father and
then, he was crowned as King Ghazi the 1st and the king was loved by his people and he was an opponent
to the British and he strongly wanted Arab cooperation and supported the independence of oppressed
nations from their overlords and he also supported the eldest son of the Mamluk Sultan to become
premier after Rahman’s death and the reforms intensified and Iraq once again prospered and in 1936,
everything in Mandatory Palestine went out when the 1936 revolution happened and Ghazi expressed
support to it and after it failed, he urged the British to stop Jewish migration , but when they ignored his
demands he sent one message: Get fucked. And then, in 1938, The Mamluk Family established The
Mamluk Charity Organization for Relief [TMCR] and then, in 1940, disaster struck when King Ghazi
died in a car crash while driving his car, leaving the throne to his young son, Faisal who was only 4 years
old by the time.

Faisal the 2nd’s reign [1940-1958]

Iraq in WW2 [1941-1945]

As Faisal was too young to reign by his own, a regent was set up which was his 1st cousin once removed,
Abdallah who consolidated power from everyone even the prime minister, Sami al Hinawi, who formed a
new coalition was not in good terms with the regent so, there was unrest in the nation and the people were
anti-Abdallah , but there were some suspicions about Ghazi’s sudden death so, the people suspected the
British about the murder because of his anti-British stance and then, the Allies were in WW2 fighting the
German Reich and Italy. Iraq supported the allies, but the prime minister, Rashid Al Ghailani wanted to
support the axis, but was ousted in a coup d’état before he could help them by Sharaf Ousama, who
officially joined the Allies in 1941 and after Operation Barbarossa and the counteroffensive, Iraqi troops
joined the war and then, when the Germans were defeated in 1945, Sami Al Hinawi proposed the Fertile
Crescent plan which unifies Iraq, Syria and Transjordan into one state and in 1946, as a reward for
participation in WW2, Transjordan was given to Iraq, fulfilling Al Hinawi’s plan.

The Arab-Israeli War [1948]

 In 1948, the state of Israel was established, displacing the Palestinians in the regions so, Egypt, Iraq
and its kingdoms and Saudi Arabia decided to go to war with Israel to help the Palestinians and Israel,
although outnumbered, scored a lot of victories against the Arabs and signed the armistice agreement in
1949 to draw new borders with the Arabs with Iraq gaining the West Bank and Egypt gaining Gaza and
after that, the Arabs vowed to deal with Israel with the help of the USSR

Visits around the world [1950-1957]

Majority of King Faisal [1953]

King Faisal and Abdallah visited lots of countries before the majority years of King Faisal so this
means that Abdallah will be leaving soon and retire from political life so, the people who were mostly anti
Abdallah were happy and some of the countries they visited were: The UK, France, Italy, West Germany,
Egypt, Turkey, India, China, the USSR and Greece and then, in 1953, a grand ceremony was held for the
majority of King Faisal the 2nd and Abdallah retired, but then, as fear from communists and Baathists
grew, the army seized power led by General Adib Al Shikashili, who was from Syria and vowed to deal
with Israel in his reign

Adib Al Shikashili’s reign [1953-1958]

After Adib seized power from the state, he started by putting the people who were loyal to him in
influential positions to secure loyalism and as he demanded that Israel should be erased, the West feared
him and ordered him to step down, but he refused and in the Suez Crisis, he helped Nasser’s Egypt
against the protectors of the Suez, but failed to save Sinai before Israel took it and with some minor
border skirmishes, Adib promised again to deal with Israel in his reign and so, resistance from Baathists
and communists grew and as he cracked down on them even more, he placed the young king under house
arrest and as the situation became more dangerous, a coup occurred in 14 July 1958 that forced the state
to unite under Nasser’s regime in Egypt

UAR Union [1958-1961]

On 14th July 1958, a coup ensured by the Nasserist parties killed the king and Abdallah and also, Nuri
al Saeed was killed and so, Nasser gained control over Iraq and Syria and Transjordan for 3 years before
there was a revolt by Abdul Karim Qasim and Hafez al Assad after discovering that the UAR was
dominated by Egypt and Iraq, Syria and Transjordan were underrepresented and are mere colonies of
Egypt so, a coup occurred that declared the Republic of the Levant but after some disagreements between
Iraq and Syria, the two separated.

Republic of Iraq [ 1961-1979]

1st head of state: Abdul Karim Qasim [1961-1963]

Last head of state: Ahmed Hasan al Baker and Saddam Hussein [1969-1979]

Arab Republic of Syria [1961-2000]

Only head of state: Hafez al Assad [1963-2000]

Early republican years [1961-1966]

As Qasim and Assad had conflicts about how the state will be conceptualized, the two declared their
own state and as Qasim had growing enemies that supported Hafez, he was killed in a coup in 1963,
which declared Iraq as a Baathist state led by Abdul Salam Arif who supported Hafez’s reign in Syria and
the two met to plan a union between Iraq and Syria , but these plans failed and as Iraq fully broke off with
all symbols of the monarchy and basically became anti monarchist, Hafez worked with monarchists in
secret to restore them after his death and as the Arab world was getting closer to each other, tensions were
at its highest with Israel over the issue of Palestine, culminating in the 6 Day War

6 Days War [1967]

After the Suez Crisis, Egypt and Syria went to war against Israel to liberate Palestine and ensure the
victory for the Arabs with Iraq joining the war, but they were humiliated after Israel defeated them all in 6
days and they seized the West Bank from Syria and the Gaza Strip and the Sinai from Egypt and the
Arabs were humiliated and at the summit of the Arab League, Hafez vows to destroy Israel in the next 10
years.

Coup by Baathists in Iraq [1968]

As Abdul Rahman Arif was sleeping, a bloodless coup occurred where Ahmed Hasan Al Bakr was
sworn in, putting the Baathists in power and as the situation was dwindling down in the Middle East, Iraq,
Syria and Egypt later joined forces on Yom Kippur to attack Israel

Yom Kippur War [1973-1974]

The Arabs, led by Egypt and Syria, launched a surprise attack on Israel in October on the holy day of
Yom Kippur and they pushed hard, but after some victories, Israel started by pushing the Arabs back and
started to gain territory beyond the Sinai and the Golan. Iraq, who sent an expeditionary force to fight
with the Syrian army, decided to join the war officially, with Saudi Arabia and Libya joining the war and
sending army commanders and then, after some minor gains, the Yom Kippur war became a stalemate in
the Negev and Golan frontlines until 1974 when Ahmed Hasan al Bakr visited Egypt to meet with Anwar
Sadat and discuss a new counteroffensive

Arab Counteroffensive [Jan 1974- Nov 1974]

As Al Bakr gave plans about what will the counteroffensive involves, Kuwait joins in the
counteroffensive and with Israel requesting from the US and UK military support, Romania and
Czechoslovakia sent aid to the Arabs and also, Soviet commanders helped to discuss the counteroffensive

Start of the counteroffensive: Jan 3 1974

Egyptian troops crossed the Negev while Syria started to enter the Golan again and also, Iraqi forces and
Libyans entered the Syrian province of Irbid and started to cross the Dead Sea into Israel, but Israel
shocks the Arabs by repelling them all and by Feb 23 1974, Israel is supported by all of NATO [except
Türkiye of course] and the Arabs supported by the USSR and the Warsaw Pact and Pakistan and also,
Israel threatened the Arabs to use nuclear weapons on them, revealing to the world that Israel has nukes of
itself, but this didn’t scare the Arabs, who were joined by Morocco and Lebanon on Mar 14 th and while a
lot of stalemates occurred, Egypt managed to capture the small Israeli coastline on the Red Sea and also,
they have entered Khan Younis on the 7th of April, culminating a victory in the city

Northern Lines [May 7th to May 31st]

Syria has suffered from tremendous defeats by the Israeli army lead by commander Moshe Dayan and as
Lebanon has entered the war, Israel barricaded South Lebanon and entered on May 9th, but the Lebanese
were strong and would never allow them to enter and as the situation was dire, Iraq sent some troops to
help within the northern line, with fighting at Sidon culminating in an Iraqi victory and on May 29 th, Iraqi
and Syrian troops liberated the Golan and started to enter in mainland Israel.

Uprisings of Palestinians [July 14th- Oct 7th]

As Egypt reached the city of Sderot and Iraq trying to encircle the Israeli army at the Jordan Valley,
Dayan ordered a standoff around Hebron and as Palestinians rejoiced for their Arab liberators, they staged
an intifada where they confronted Israeli troops and as Beersheba was encircled by an uprising, Egypt
entered the city, where they slaughtered prominent military commanders on Aug 7 th. Dayan has defeated
the Iraqi army and ensured a standoff of the people of Israel, chosen by God, to stand against the Arabs.
Israelis started to arm themselves against the Arabs and the Soviet commanders warned Sadat about
civilians arming themselves to fight them, but as the war grew very wary, The US sent a cruiser to the
Mediterranean to help Israel and deploy Marines there
US troops enter the war [Sep 11th 1974]

The US deploy the first Marines to fight alongside Israel [ and also, to not make this escalate into
WW3, we can say that Article V will not be activated] and as they help Israel to recapture cities and try to
break the morale of Arabs, Vice President of Iraq Saddam Hussein called for the armies of the Arabs and
the Palestinians to trust Allah and fight the oppressors and on Oct 8th, Moshe Dayan was killed in an Iraqi-
Israeli standoff, demoralizing Israeli even more.

Final offensives [Oct 10th- Nov 25 1974]

As Dayan was killed, Iraqi troops hand over the captured parts of the West Bank to Syria again and
also, Egypt surrounds cities in southern Israel and then on Nov 1st, Tel Aviv falls to the Arabs and the US
troops are defeated with PM of Israel Menachim Begin declaring an emergency government in Jerusalem.
Fatah leader Yasser Arafat declares that the Arabs will soon enter the holy city by the end of the month,
with Iraqi troops defeating all Israeli troops in the West Bank and Syria surrounding Jerusalem, but the
Arabs were unable to capture it and by Dec 1st the Arabs accepted a ceasefire with Israel and as Israel
surrendered, it handed territory to occupation zones in the Levant to the Arabs, signifying a victory and an
entry to Jerusalem and Dec 20th 1974, ending the Yom Kippur War and Israel once and for all.

Establishment of Palestine [1974-1976]

As the Arabs triumphed over Israel, they established the State of Palestine much to the West’s shock
and as Syria decided to hand over the West Bank and Jordan Valley to Palestine, tensions started to occur
between Arabs and Jews as the Arabs wanted to forget the former Israeli regime and after a month, Iraq
declared that Jews who used to live in Iraq are welcome to return and mass immigration of Iraqi Jews
occurs and as Palestine was established, Syria decided to station troops there permanently so that order
could be kept and as Jews and Arabs started to reconcile, they built a new highway to help for pilgrimage
and also, the Church of the Holy Sepulture was opened to Christians from all around the world for the 1 st
time since 1947 and now, the Levant can live in peace

Soviet Invasion of Iraq and Iran [1979-1990]

As Iraq was led by Saddam Hussein, who wanted to start a war on Iran for obvious reasons to gain land
and stop the Islamic Revolution in the country and as the invasion was starting to develop into a
stalemate, the USSR launched an invasion into northern Iran and subdued it until it reached the Iraqi
border because the Soviets were afraid of Saddam’s policy against Iran so, it decided to hand some
occupations back to Iran and continue its advance, Here, Saddam started to panic and assume full martial
law in the country as genocide and rights suspension were frequent and Saddam tried to fight the USSR,
but he lost the north and Diyala was being sieged by the Red Army, he was in a very pig problem and
after Diyala fell, The Soviets established the Iraqi SSR, and also, threatened to destroy Saddam and his
state

Iraqi SSR [1980-1989]

Head of SSR: Hamid Majeed Moussa [only one]

Southern Offensive [1981-1983]

Saddam decided that he should not give up and then, he used his manpower to attack the Soviets, but
he exhausted himself and he started losing and capitulating as the Iraqi SSR took control of Baghdad and
Saddam started to lose and as the Soviets started to establish control in Iraqi territories, a guerilla war
occurred between revolutionaries and the Soviets and by 1988 the situation was very unbearable that the
Soviets withdrew after the Gulf States formed a coalition to liberate Iraq and as the Soviets withdrew, Iraq
established a new interim government with Uday Ahmed as interim head until he could settle the
elections and elect a new leader

Second Iraqi Republic [1990-2009]

1st President: Watban Ibrahim [1990-1994]

Last President: Jalal Talabani [2005-2009]

Syrian Border Redraw [1994]

After Iraq declared a new republic and constitution, it basically gave Arabs and Kurds equal rights in
governmental positions and after some years, borders were revised with Syria and also, Syrian head of
state Hafez Al Assad gave power to his son, Bashar, who is being prepared to lead Syria very soon, Iraq
also expressed good relations with the Gulf States and started to model itself for modernization as in
2000, Hafez died and is succeeded by Bashar al Assad, who welcomes Prince Raad Al Hussein as the new
monarch of Syria

Second Kingdom of Syria [2001-Present]

King: Raad Al Hussein [2001- Present]

Crown Prince: Zeid Bin Raad [2001- Present]

1st PM: Habib of Mamluk [2001-2004]

Current PM: Bashar Al Assad [2004-2028]

 People waved portraits of the late King Faisal when the exiled prince and his son returned to Syria for
the 1st time to be crowned king, He declared that Syria will be free and Palestine will be annexed to Syria
because it has been occupied since 1976 and also, there are calls to integrate it so, it was done. King Raad
appoints a Mamluk prince to the National Assembly but was defeated by Bashar Al Assad who is the
current pm of the country until the end of all his terms. In Iraq, supporters deposed Nouri Al Maliki and
his State of Law Coalition in favor for unification with Syria in 2010 as there were polls of it and 86
percent voted for a United Kingdom of Iraq and the Levant, adding Iraq to the newly reborn kingdom

Syrian- Levantine Civil War [2011-2022]

Opposition and Jordanian nationalists and also, some hardliner Jews started revolts against Bashar’s
regime and the King with the Islamic State and PKK joining. All of them swept through the Iraqi and
Palestinian regions and almost collapsed Syrian authority there, Bashar requested support from Russia
and Türkiye decided to support the Kingdom in its war but as opposition rebels and Hezbollah appeared
with support from Iran and the Gulf States, it was hard for Syria to defeat them, but by 2020, Saudi
Arabia ceased support for rebels and with Türkiye’s help, Syria defeated the PKK and by 2022, Bashar
ends the civil war.

Kuwait joining the Kingdom [2023]

The King congratulates Bashar for his efforts against the rebels and the Islamic State, but there are still
problems from Jordanian nationalists and Jewish hardliners and by 2023, Kuwait joined the Kingdom,
returning the state to an extent that resembles the old Mamluk state and by the way, the Mamluk royal
family is still active in politics and some of them are going to challenge Bashar in the elections very soon
when his term ends.

Current Situation [2024]

Syria is an Arab kingdom in the Middle East with it comprising of: Syria, Greater Lebanon, Palestine,
Iraq and Kuwait. It is a fairly safe state and with a happy population with trust in its king. May this state
prosper and we have reached the end of our scenario, I hope you have enjoyed!!!

[ By Yousif A. Almaliki 2023/12/8]

Statistics:

Name: Levantine- Arab Kingdom of Syria and Associates

Area: 756,772 square kilometers [292191 square miles] [38th]

Population: 100,027,283 [15th]

Demonyms: Levantine, Iraqi, Syrian, Jordanian, Palestinian, Turkish

Capital: Damascus

Largest city: Baghdad

2nd largest city: Mosul

Ethnicities: 85% Arab, 10% Kurds, 2% Jews, 1% Turkish, 2% other ethnicities [Assyrian, Druze, Yazidi,
etc.]

Religion: 91% Islam, 6% Christianity, 2% Judaism, 1% others [Druze, Sabaeans, Atheists, etc.]

GDP: 432.4 billion USD [36th]

GDP per capita: 13750 USD [ 65th]

Type of Government: Unitary Parliamentary Federal Constitutional Monarchy

King: Raad the 1st [2001-Present]

Crown Prince: Zeid bin Raad [2001-Present]

Prime Minister: Bashar Al Assad [2004-Present] (term ends in 2028, ineligible for reelection)

Speaker of the assembly: Zeina Khalid [2017-Present]

HDI: 0.767 [ 80th] [High]

Maps:

[Map of the Autonomous Mamluk Eyalets]

[Maximum Extent of the Sultanate of Iraq]

[The Republics of Syria and Iraq before the Soviet Invasion]

[Current map of the Kingdom of the Levant (2024)]