The spiral minaret of the Great Mosque of Mutawakkil (Photo by John M. Russell)
Iraq Before Saddam Story aired: Thursday, March 13, 2003
Al Samud missiles, torture chambers, and an impoverished economy. That's what many Americans think of when they think of Iraq. But what about the creation of the alphabet, a system of banking, the discovery of algebra. All are part of the rich history of the land now called Iraq and even into modern times, the Arab world looked up to the Iraqi people as the most cultured among them, until Saddam Hussein's rule.
While the history may be lost to many, it has a profound impact on how Iraqis see themselves today, and in a post-Saddam world.
Fawaz Gerges is a professor of history at Sarah Lawrence College.
