Iraqi Sunni Arabs (), historically referred to as the
Arabs of Al-Jazira (), are an
Iraqi
Arab ethnoreligious group. Iraqi Sunni Arabs mainly inhabit the provinces of
Al-Anbar,
Salah al-Din,
Nineveh,
Kirkuk,
Diyala, and areas of
Baghdad with Sunni
Bedouin inhabiting the desert regions of the south, the
border with Kuwait and the
Jordanian steppe. In the modern era, Iraqi Sunni Arabs are often mistaken by outsiders as simply Iraqi Arabs who follow Sunni Islam rather than Shia but constitute a distinct Arab people with a unique history and origin tied to the region of
West Iraq they primarily inhabit. Iraqi Sunni Arabs have traditionally been organized into large, indigenous tribal confederations, including
Dulaim of
Al-Anbar,
al-Bu Nasir of
Tikrit,
al-Bu Nimr of
Ramadi, and
al-Ubaid of northern
Salah al-Din and
Kirkuk. These tribes have long functioned as key social, political, and economic structures within Sunni society. In addition, several
Bedouin tribes of
Najdi and northern Arabian origin, notably the
Shammar,
Mutayr,
Otaibah, and
Banu Tamim, historically ranged across the western steppe and southern desert fringes of the
Ottoman Empire's
Baghdad Vilayet, covering what is now central and southwestern Iraq. Over the course of the 20th century, many members of these tribes integrated into mainstream Jazira-influenced Sunni Iraqi society, gradually transitioning from semi-nomadic livelihoods to urban residence in major centers such as Baghdad, Mosul, and Ramadi, in line with Iraq's broader processes of modernization, sedentarization, and urban expansion.
History depicting
Abu Hanifa, a scholar of Iraqi Sunni Arab descent, born in
Kufa and founder of the
Hanafi school of Sunni jurisprudence. His legal tradition remains one of the most widely followed within Sunni Islam worldwide.|left Iraqi Sunni Arabs largely originated as a mixture of Arab Muslims who settled in Iraq after the Islamic conquest of the Sasanian Empire, as well as natives who were Arabized. In the early Islamic period, Iraq was a key center of the
Abbasid Caliphate, with the city of
Baghdad serving as its capital from the 8th to the 13th century. Sunni Arabs played a significant role in the administration (including the ruling
Abbasid dynasty) and cultural life of the caliphate, and many important figures of Islamic scholarship and literature emerged from Iraq during this time and during the
Islamic Golden Age. Before the creation of nation states, Iraqi Sunni Arabs identified with the wider neighboring Sunni Arab populations. After the
dissolution of the Ottoman Empire,
King Faisal I was installed as ruler of Iraq. Iraqi Sunni Arab identity consolidated after the independence of Iraq, where Iraqi Sunni Arabs inhabited the provinces of
Al-Anbar,
Salah al-Din,
Nineveh,
Kirkuk,
Diyala, and parts of
Baghdad. Sectarian identities in Iraq were deeply tied to regional and tribal affiliation, with Sunnis and Shias historically inhabiting segregated regions —with a degree of overlap and coexistence— each with their own historical narrative. The regions inhabited by Iraqi Sunni Arabs were the historic regions of
Al-Jazira and
Upper Mesopotamia while the Shia stronghold has historically been southern Iraq, known as
Babylonia or
Sawad (the latter of which is also called
Lower Mesopotamia), which, while remaining strongly Arab, has had more
Persianate influence compared to Sunni areas (most recently contributed by the rule of the
Safavid dynasty). Sunni identity in Al-Jazira and West Iraq strongly reflects
Bedouin heritage and
Arabian tribal traditions, following the
Arab conquest of Mesopotamia and newer minor Ottoman-era connections to
Levantine,
Eastern European and
Balkan cultures, contributing to a cultural background with different influences to that of the Shia-majority regions of the south but strongly rooted in the culture of
Arabian Peninsula rather than the
Mediterranean or Iran.
Culture Sunni Iraqi Arab culture, particularly in cities such as
Tikrit,
Fallujah,
Samarra, and
Mosul, is characterized by a combination of tribal traditions and conservative Sunni Islamic practices. Common clothing includes the white
dishdasha and red-and-white
keffiyeh with a black
agal, shared with other Arab groups. Regional food traditions vary, Mosul is known for Ottoman-influenced dishes such as baked
sambusak with spiced
lamb,
dolma prepared with
pomegranate molasses, and
ćevapi (known locally as
kebab hindi), a grilled minced meat dish of Balkan origin uncommon in other parts of Iraq. In Samarra, cuisine reflects Bedouin and tribal influences, including
pacha with stuffed intestines and tripe, fried sambusak with heavier spices, and dishes like
tashreeb (Bread Stew) and
timman bil-tamatim (Spiced Tomato Rice) served during communal gatherings. Arabian dishes such as
Mandi and
Haneeth remain popular special occasion and gathering meals in more Bedouin-descendent desert regions such as Anbar and Saladin, spreading through tribes such as the Banu Tamim and the Mutayr and modern influence from the
culture of Eastern Arabia among Sunni Arabs.
Diwaniyas in Sunni regions function as formal male-only spaces used for hospitality, dispute resolution, and tribal or religious consultation. Unlike the Shia
majlis, Sunni diwaniyas tend to avoid sectarian symbolism and focus on tribal hierarchy and Sunni jurisprudence. Traditional games such as
Tavli (backgammon),
dominoes, and
carrom are commonly played. Music is generally conservative, with limited instrumental use, though
Iraqi maqam remains culturally significant. Religious life centers on mosque-based worship, Friday prayers, Ramadan, and Eid, contributing to a distinct Sunni Arab identity in central and northern Iraq.
Politics Sunni Arabs were the backbone of
Saddam Hussein's
Ba'athist Iraq regime. Under the Ba'athist regime, Sunni Arabs were portrayed in propaganda as the closest to the rest of the Arab world, fostering unity between Iraq and the rest of the Arab world. This benefited the Sunni minority as Iraqi identity was pushed to be closely tied to
Arab socialist and
Pan-Arabist ideologies, heavily influenced by
Nasserist views originating in revolutionary Egypt. The pre-2003 Iraqi state reflected Sunni norms and culture, positioning Sunni Iraqis as the standard of national identity and enforced during Shia revolts against the state, such as the
1991 Iraqi uprisings. This has led to certain Ba'athist symbols such as the former
flag of the Iraqi Republic under Ba'athism being reinterpreted as a distinctly Sunni symbol following its replacement in 2008. During the
Iran–Iraq War, Ba'athist narratives portrayed Sunni-led Iraq as the last line of Arab and Sunni defense against Shia Iran, reinforcing a sense of historical mission and communal pride. Following the
2003 invasion of Iraq, Sunni Arabs became targeted by Shia militias. Due to continued repression by the Shia-led government, Sunni
Islamist and
Ba'athist armed groups such as the
Naqshabandi Army took up arms against the government during the
2012–2013 Iraqi protests. This led to the
2013 Anbar campaign and beginning of the
War in Iraq against the
Islamic State which lasted until December 2017. This was followed by Sunni Arab calls for
their own autonomous region in Iraq. During the sectarian conflict in Iraq, sectarian militias not only killed due to sect, but also due to family names, accents, physical appearances, and origins which could have implied their sectarian affiliation. In Iraq, by the 21st century, Sunni Arab converts to Shia Islam continued to be considered Sunni, while Shia Arab converts to Sunni Islam also continued to be considered Shia. The terms became identifiers for the two distinct Arab subgroups and began to transcend sectarian values. Ethnic Arab Christians in Iraq, distinct from Assyrians, were culturally identical with Sunni Arabs and well integrated together, thus often being included in the Sunni designation.
Nouri al-Maliki's Shia-led government repressed Sunnis, stressing the Sunni Arab tribes' favourable disposition towards the
Islamic State, although they did not share the
Salafist beliefs. A number of Sunnis have now taken up arms against the Islamic State to stop its attempts at establishing hegemony. In a survey in 2015, only 13 percent of Iraqi Sunni Arabs believed that their central government in Baghdad was heading in the right direction. Today, Iraqi Sunni Arabs are represented in politics primarily by the secularist
Progress Party and the mixed Sunni-secular
Azem Alliance, historically after 2003 they were represented by the
Iraqi Islamic Party and other groups associated with the
Iraqi Accord Front, as well as the
National Dialogue Front, the
National Movement for Development and Reform, the
Nasserist Socialist Vanguard Party, and the
Uniters for Reform Coalition (Muttahidoon). While these parties have provided platforms for Sunni political engagement, their integration into the broader national framework remains slow and uneven. Persistent political marginalization, internal fragmentation, and ongoing instability continue to limit their overall influence in Iraqi politics. According to a report published in 2015, there were about 9 million Sunni Arabs in Iraq. == Non-Arab groups ==