The History of the Leather Industry in Baghdad Until 1964

Abstract

This research is about leather industry in Iraq in general and Baghdad in particular. Leather industry is one of the most important industries in its modern history, which had its modern beginnings based on mechanical machines after the middle of the nineteenth century, with the individual efforts of some governors in Baghdad, such as Wali Namiq Pasha and Midhat Pasha. Leather industry was set with the aim of promoting the local industry, as this industry has gone through important developments especially after the establishment of the national government, and the policy of successive governments that encouraged industries with the aim of promoting the national economy. The study concluded that the leather industry in Baghdad occupied an important position in the manufacturing industry in Iraq, which reflected the active importance of the Iraqi economy at that time. And that the majority of those who established factories and factories among the merchants and investors during the stage of the rise of the national industry, did not take into account the quality or interest in those factories, as profit was their primary goal. Finally, the successive governments in the royal and republican eras were not concerned with the issue of planning and organizing regarding the establishment of leather factories, as most of them were random and unregulated, in addition to not setting a record or inventory of the number of leather factories. Accordingly, a number of leather industries were not included in the list of approved factories, while some claimed that their products were issued by factories or companies, although the truth is no more than a (shop). ‏