In Cairo, on March 22, 1945, the six already sovereign Arab states (Egypt, Syria, Transjordan (later Jordan), Lebanon and Saudi Arabia) formed the Arab League.

At the time the leader of the Arab World was Egypt’s ultra-charismatic, Pan-Arabist, Soviet-allied President, Gamal Abdel Nasser. In this context, This Kharita™ is created. It is a powerful propaganda work, showcasing Iraq’s supposedly leading role within the Arab World. Published in Baghdad at the beginning of the 1960s, the map was commissioned by Abd al-Karim Qasim (1914 – 1963), the Prime Minister of Iraq who seemed to challenge Nasser’s for his superiority over the Arab World. The map embraces the entire Arab World from Morocco to Oman, and is augmented by a detailed plan of Baghdad bearing a portrait of Qasim, while the flags of the 15 Arab entities adorn the side panels.