THE IMPACT OF THE SECTARIAN DIMENSION ON THE SAFAVID-OTTOMAN CONFLICT IN IRAQ (1534-1638 AD)

The history of Iraq has been characterized by many conflicts and instability, and the reasons were mostly external.Iraq's important location, the abundance of its economic resources, and the fertility of its land prompted ambitious countries to compete over it.One of the historical evidences was the competition that occurred between the Ottoman and Safavid states.However, what happened in Iraq this time was that the two competing states, the Ottoman and Safavid, did not consider themselves colonial states, but rather claimed to protect the sons of their sect.Thus, a new factor was added to the conflict over Iraq, namely the sectarian factor, despite the fact that the real reasons for the conflict were to obtain economic privileges and expand into Iraqi lands to secure their transportation routes.Iraq paid the price for this competition, whether through killing, displacement, or the loss of its economic resources.