This list of Iraqis includes people who were born in Iraq and people who are of Iraqi ancestry, who are significantly notable for their life and/or work.
Archaeologists
Donny George Youkhanna Taha Baqir Zainab Bahrani (born 1962), Iraqi professor of Ancient Near Eastern Art and Archaeology at Columbia University Hormuzd Rassam (1826 – 16 September 1910), native Assyrian Assyriologist, British diplomat and traveller who made a number of important discoveries, including the clay tablets that contained the Epic of Gilgamesh, the world's oldest literature
Artists
Wijdan Ali, painter, was born in Baghdad, Iraq. She is the ex-wife of Prince 'Ali bin Naif of Jordan. Mohammed Ghani Hikmat (1929 – September 12, 2011), Iraqi sculptor and artist credited with creating some of Baghdad's highest profile sculptures and monuments. His best known works include the Victory Arch and two statues of Queen Scheherazade and King Shahryar, located on Aby Nuwas Street. Jananne Al-Ani, artist Zahroun Amara, world renowned Mandaean niello silversmith. People that are known to have owned his silver nielloware include Stanley Maude, Winston Churchill, Bahrain royal family, Egyptian King Farouk, Iraqi royal family including kings Faisal I and Ghazi, and British royal family including the Prince of Wales who became Edward VIII. Layla Al-Attar, painter Wesaam Al-Badry, Iraqi-American artist and photojournalist Yitzhak Yamin, Israeli painter and sculptor, (born in Iraq of Iraqi Jewish heritage) Suad al-Attar, painter Jawad Saleem (1919–1961) (Arabic: جواد سليم), Iraqi sculptor born in Ankara (Turkey) in 1919, one of the most famous Iraqi artists of all time. Omran Al-Kaysi, artist and historian Sama Raena Alshaibi, artist Jaber Alwan, artist Jasim An-Najafi (born 1950) (Arabic: جاسم النجفي), Iraqi senior calligrapher born in Najaf, Iraq Khalil al-Zahawi, calligrapher Halla Ayla, Iraqi-American artist Raad Ghantous, interior designer Hayv Kahraman, Iraqi-American artist Farouk Kaspaules, Iraqi-born Canadian artist Toba Khedoori, artist Nedim Kufi, artist Hassan Massoudy, calligrapher Rashad Salim, Iraqi-German artist Tamara Salman, design director Wafaa Bilal, born in 1966 Najaf, Iraq. He is an Iraqi American artist, former professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and currently an assistant professor at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University.
Artists of Iraqi origin
Anish Kapoor (born 12 March 1954), Indian sculptor. Born in Bombay to Hindu father and a Jewish mother whose family immigrated from Baghdad when she was a few months old. Gerry Judah (born 30 July 1951), British artist and designer. Judah's maternal and paternal grandparents came from Baghdad to settle in the already established Baghdadi Jewish community in India and Burma.
Architects
Hisham N. Ashkouri Rifat Chadirji (1926–2020), Iraqi architect and author Zaha Hadid, one of the greatest architects in the 20th and 21st century, first woman ever to receive Pritzker Architecture Prize (2004). Other awards include Thomas Jefferson Medal in Architecture (2007), and Brit Awards 2017 posthumously. Hussain Ali Abbass Harba, Iraqi architect and designer Jala Makhzoumi (born 1949), landscape architect, academic and activist Kanan Makiya (born 1949), architect, academic and critic Mohamed Makiya (1914–2015), architect, urban planner and author Shwan Alhashimi (1977), Architect, Interior Architect and Futurist Manhal Al-Habbobi (born 1970), Iraqi architect and former mayor of Baghdad Basil Bayati, architect and designer
Fashion designers Misha Nonoo, American-based fashion designer, best known for her eponymous line of women's ready-to-wear Farah Alhaddad, Iraqi-born fashion model Reem Alasadi, Iraqi-born British fashion designer Salim al-Shimiri Hana Sadiq Amir Slama, fashion designer, stylist and owner of the famous beach fashion brand Rosa Chá in Brazil Zeena Zaki, fashion designer
Authors
Elaf Ali: Journalist and author known for her impactful memoir Who Said Anything About Love?, which explores growing up under honor-based norms in Sweden. Nazik Al-Malaika: A revolutionary female poet who was one of the first to use free verse in Arabic literature. Sinan Antoon: A professor at NYU and a leading novelist who writes deeply emotional stories about loss and memory. His most famous works include The Corpse Washer and The Book of Collateral Damage. Ali Bader: A prolific novelist known for exploring the intellectual history of Baghdad and the complexities of Iraqi identity. Hassan Blasim: Often called "the best living Arab writer" by Western critics. He lives in Finland and writes gritty, surreal stories about war and refugees. Key works: The Iraqi Christ, The Madman of Freedom Square, Allah99. Inaam Kachachi: A Paris-based author whose novels often deal with the Iraqi diaspora and the loss of the diverse old Iraq. Her notable books include The American Granddaughter and Tashari. Betool Khedairi: Her writing often focuses on the intersection of cultures and the lives of women in Baghdad. Gained international acclaim for her debut novel Sky Below, which captures life in Baghdad under sanctions. Abbas Khider: An Iraqi-German author who fled Iraq in the 90s. He writes primarily in German about the refugee experience. Dunya Mikhail: An Iraqi-American renowned poet and journalist. Her work often transforms the horrors of war into hauntingly beautiful metaphors. Ahmed Saadawi: Best known for the international bestseller Frankenstein in Baghdad, which won the International Prize for Arabic Fiction. Badr Shakir al-Sayyab: Widely considered the father of modern Arabic poetry for his role in breaking traditional poetic structures (notably with his poem Rain Song). Muhsin al-Ramli: Living in Spain, he is one of the most prominent novelists writing about the Saddam era and its aftermath. Key works: The President's Gardens, Fingers of Dates. Shahad Al Rawi: A younger voice whose debut novel became an international sensation. Key works: The Baghdad Clock. Saadi Youssef: One of the most prolific and influential Arab poets of the late 20th century, known for his "everyday" poetic language. Haifa Zangana: A novelist, artist, and political activist known for her memoirs and novels about political resistance.
Business people and entrepreneurs Asil Attar, Iraqi businesswoman and former CEO Nadhmi Auchi, British-Iraqi businessman, founder and chairman of General Mediterranean Holding (GMH), a conglomerate of 120 companies worldwide. In the Sunday Times Rich List 2008 ranking of the wealthiest people in the UK he was placed 27th with estimated fortune of £2,150 million. Zadik Bino (born 1943), Iraqi-born Israeli billionaire businessman. Shlomo Eliahu (born 1936), Baghdad-born Israeli businessman, billionaire, and former member of the Knesset Calouste Gulbenkian (23 March 1869 – 20 July 1955), Armenian businessman and philanthropist. Huda Kattan, Iraqi-American, founder and CEO of Huda Beauty Nemir Kirdar, Iraqi-born businessman (President, founder and CEO of Investcorp) Khalid Muhmood, director of Apollo Education and Training Sharif Hikmat Nashashibi, co-founder and chairman of Arab Media Watch Samuel Nalo, businessman, hijacker, and burglar Selim Zilkha, entrepreneur, founder of Mothercare, one of the United Kingdom's largest retail chains. Ezra Zilkha, financier and philanthropist Bahaa Abdul Hadi, Iraqi businessman and founder of Qi Card, the national credit card of Iraq also known as the International Smart Card ISC. Dadvan Yousuf, Iraqi cryptocurrency investor and businessman whose early bitcoin investments made him a millionaire.
Marcus Samuel, 1st Viscount Bearsted (5 November 1853 – 17 January 1927), founder of the Shell Transport and Trading Company, which later took the name Royal Dutch Shell. Samuel was born into a Baghdadi Jewish family in Whitechapel, London. Samuel Samuel (7 April 1855 – 23 October 1934), businessman and Conservative Party politician. He sat in the House of Commons from 1913 to 1934. Samuel, born into a Baghdadi Jewish family. He founded Samuel Samuel & Co in Yokohama, Japan, in partnership with his elder brother Marcus Samuel. Walter Samuel, 2nd Viscount Bearsted, Colonel Walter Horace Samuel, 2nd Viscount Bearsted MC (13 March 1882 – 8 November 1948) was a British peer and former Chairman of the Shell Transport and Trading Company. He was also a prominent art collector and a philanthropist. Samuel was the son of Marcus Samuel, 1st Viscount Bearsted. Marcus Samuel, 3rd Viscount Bearsted, Major Marcus Richard Samuel, 3rd Viscount Bearsted TD DL (1 June 1909 – 15 October 1986) was a British peer and a director of numerous companies, including Lloyds Bank. Samuel was the son of Walter Samuel, 2nd Viscount Bearsted. Peter Samuel, 4th Viscount Bearsted, Major Peter Montefiore Samuel, 4th Viscount Bearsted MC TD (9 December 1911 – 9 June 1996) was a British peer and former Deputy Chairman of Shell Transport and Trading. Sassoon David Sassoon (1832–1867), Indian-born English businessman, banker and philanthropist. Sir Sassoon David, 1st Baronet (11 December 1849 – 27 September 1926), member of the community of Baghdadi Jews that lived in Bombay. A prominent businessman, he was the lead promoter of the Bank of India, founded in 1906. Sir Edward Sassoon, 2nd Baronet, of Kensington Gore (20 June 1856 – 24 May 1912), British businessman and politician. Sir Percival David, 2nd Baronet (Bombay, 21 July 1892 – 9 October 1964), important collector of Chinese porcelain. The Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art is a collection of Chinese ceramics and related items in London, England. Naim Dangoor CBE (born April 1914), British-nationalised Jewish Iraqi refugee, engineer, entrepreneur and philanthropist. Jack Dellal (2 October 1923 – 28 October 2012), London-based property investor known as 'Black Jack' reportedly worth GBP £480 million in 2009. Zadik Bino, Israeli businessman of Iraqi Jewish descent. He was ranked Israel's 24th richest man in 2006 by Forbes. Albert Abdullah David Sassoon, Sir Albert Abdullah David Sassoon, 1st Baronet, KCB, CSI, (25 July 1818 – 24 October 1896) was a British Indian businessman and philanthropist. Sir Albert was born on 25 July 1818 in Baghdad. Shai Agassi, Founder and Chairman of Better Place Nemir A. Kirdar, Iraqi businessman and financier, he is the executive chairman & CEO of Investcorp, a private equity investment group operating out of New York, London and Bahrain. Kirdar currently lives in London. Kirdar was born to a Turkmen family in Kirkuk, Iraq, to a family prominent in the politics of the late Ottoman Empire and interwar Iraq. Shlomo Eliahu (born 18 January 1936 in Baghdad, Iraq), Israeli businessman, billionaire, and former politician who served as a member of the Knesset between 1978 and 1981. Selim Zilkha (born 1927), entrepreneur who founded Mothercare, one of the United Kingdom's largest retail chains. He was born in Baghdad to an Iraqi Jewish family. He is currently the co-owner of Zilkha Biomass Energy, which owns timberland and which makes pellet biofuel in Texas. Bahaa Hariri, businessman. Son of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri and Iraqi mother (Nidal Al-Bustani). Samuel Hayek, Israeli millionaire real-estate tycoon of Iraqi Jewish descent. Badr Jafar, business executive and entrepreneur based in the United Arab Emirates Victor Nacif, businessman and current Vice President of Design Business Aspects for Nissan Design America. He is of Mexican, Lebanese and Iraqi ancestry. Vincent Tchenguiz (born October 1956), Iranian-British entrepreneur born in Tehran to an Iraqi-Jewish family. He is the Chairman of Consensus Business Group. Robert Tchenguiz, British entrepreneur, securities dealer and the brother of Vincent Tchenguiz. He was born Teheran to an Iraqi-Jewish family. He is the co-chairman of Rotch Property Group.