Arab Iraq
Arab Iraq or Arabian Iraq was a historical geographical term used by medieval and early modern writers for the region of Iraq in Mesopotamia, often centered in Lower Mesopotamia. Its precise extent varied by author and period, and some sources describe Arab Iraq as corresponding roughly to much of modern Iraq.
The term "Arab Iraq" became commonly used in the Seljuk period as a way to distinguish the historical region of Mesopotamia from "Persian Iraq", a region previously referred to as al-Jibal, associated with the historical region of Media. Persian Iraq and Arab Iraq were often referred to as "al-Iraqayn" meaning "the two Iraqs" collectively. The mountainous region between them, comprising Kurdistan, Luristan, and Bakhtiyari, could fall under either region depending on the military situation, though it often maintained a high degree of autonomy.
Under Safavid rule, Arab Iraq consisted of the two provinces of Baghdad and Diyarbakr. Modern scholarship notes that Ottoman and Qajar geographical writings did not consistently distinguish Arab Iraq from al-Jazira, and that such terminology could reflect political claims, not just geography. During Nader Shah's campaign in Iraq in the Afsharid period, Mohammad Kazem Marvi used the term “Arab Iraq” in his chronicle ʿĀlam-ārā-ye Nāderī, referring to spoils taken from "Kirkuk, Sulaymaniyah, and others, in the land of Arab Iraq". In the late 19th century, Ahmet Rifat referred to Arab Iraq in relation to neighbouring regions such as Al-Jazira and Kurdistan.