A nod to the legendary Bayt Al Hikma (House of Wisdom) of Baghdad, HIKMA is an online repository and library for research, inspiration and education on Mesopotamia and modern day Iraq, and the ancient Babylonian, Sumerian, Assyrian and Akkadian cultures of the region.

For too long, the Western gaze has been the author of our heritage and histories, attempting to fit Iraq and its people into its limiting and dehumanisaing framework. It's time we begin to take ownership and creative authorship of our collective histories. Iraq's rich, diverse and ancient culture has been rapidly disappearing since the Gulf war. Today, facing economic, social, political and ecological challenges from decades of brutal exploitation, Iraq is rebuilding and we, both in diaspora and at home, are in the process of reestablishing and remembering our Iraqi identity. It's imperative that our creativity remains at the core of the future of Iraqi identity.

HIKMA is not just an archive but an intervention and reclamation of the colonial gaze on Mesopotamia.

We exist to enhance and expand the world’s knowledge on Iraq and Ancient Mesopotamia. We exist to challenge Western narratives of Iraq, to decolonise Iraq’s heritage, and to resist against cultural erasure and collective memory loss of the region. We exist to keep the memories of our ancestors alive.

We welcome you to explore our books online and at pop-up libraries and public programmes, announced via Instagram. The collection is open for collaboration with institutions and organisations.

We acknowledge and appreciate the complexities and diversity of the region. ‘Iraq’ and ‘Iraqi’ is loosely used and includes, but is not limited to, minoritised groups in the region such as Afro-Iraqis, Ahwaris, Arabs, Armenians, Assyrians, Bedouins, Circassians, Kurds, Jews, Yazidis and many more. Please be patient and understanding with us if we make a mistake in captions or references and feel free to email us with feedback.

Books are added to the website gradually and regularly.
The website is best viewed on desktop.

Please reference HIKMA or tag @hikmairaq where appropriate in your research and usage. Disclaimer: we are a one-person platform, so some errors or mistakes may occur in archiving. Please do your own research if unsure. Please be patient with us, we are an independent and non-profit platform.

Find us through: Instagram, Email

HIKMA is founded and managed by Dalia Al-Dujaili
Supported by The British Institute for the Study of Iraq
Website by Chris Boender, logo by Saadia Mebchour

 A research repository and visual library on Iraq and Mesopotamia