Jewish Thought in Iraq in the 10th Century

The name Iraq in early Islam covered a much more limited area than it does today, namely the area stretching between the lower parts of the Euphrates and Tigris, or roughly ancient Babylonia. However, it seems that at a quite early stage, and especially among Jews, Iraq came to denote also more northern areas, otherwise known as al-Jazīra, thus bringing the notion of Iraq closer to that of modern times. What matters mostly to the present discussion is that this area was, during the ninth and tenth centuries, a major political centre in the Islamic world, it was the seat of the most prominent Jewish institutions and Jewish learning and it was the scene where major cultural and scholarly developments were taking place. Culturally, and politically, Iraq of that period was turning its face both westwards and eastwards. It was the crossroads where, under the umbrella of Islam, the Mediterranean legacy of ancient Greek science and philosophy, Judaism and Christianity met with the heritage of Iran and India. ¹