Mesopotamia covers the area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Iraq. The region extends from the Persian Gulf north to the mountains of Armenia and from the Zagros and Kurdish mountains on the east to the Syrian Desert. From the mountainous north, Mesopotamia slopes down through grassy steppes to a central alluvial plain, which was once rendered exceedingly fertile by a network of canals.

Archaeological evidence shows that the region has been inhabited since at least 10,000 BC. Important developments in human history have take place in the region, including the invention of the wheel, the planting of the first cereal crops and the development of cursive script, as well as discoveries in mathematics, astronomy and agriculture. Mesopotamia was the cradle of some of the world's earliest civilizations.

The region has been ruled by the Sumerians, the Akkadians, the Assyrians, the Achaemenid Empire, Alexander the Great, the Parthian Empire, the Romans and the Sassanids. In the 7th century, Mesopotamia was conquered by the Muslims.