In official Ottoman correspondence, the Mosul Vilayet was considered part of 'the Iraq region', a term that collectively referred to the provinces of Mosul, Baghdad, and
Basra. Ottoman officials used this designation in administrative and military documents to emphasize the interconnected nature of these three provinces, which were regarded as forming the core of
Ottoman Iraq. This regional framework, which predated the
Sykes-Picot Agreement, reflected the Ottoman state's view of
Iraq as a coherent and administratively linked zone within the empire. Initially subordinate to the
Baghdad Vilayet, Mosul was separated and elevated to vilayet status in 1878, a change that weakened administrative cohesion in the region. The separation reflected broader Ottoman efforts to manage the security and tribal dynamics of Northern Mesopotamia, where frequent uprisings and external pressures from
Qajar Persia and Britain made centralized control increasingly difficult.
Sanjaks of the vilayet and their capitals: •
Sanjak of Mosul,
Mosul •
Sanjak of Shahrizor (later renamed Sanjak of Kirkuk),
Kirkuk •
Sanjak of Sulaymaniyah,
Sulaymaniyah ==Demographics==