Ali Al-Wardi

Ali Hussain Muhsin Al-Wardi (Arabic: علي حسين محسن الوردي) was an Iraqi sociologist and public intellectual specialized in the field of social history.

Ali Al-Wardi علي الوردي
Born	(1913-10-24)24 October 1913 Kadhimiya, Baghdad, Ottoman Iraq
Died	13 July 1995(1995-07-13) (aged 81) Adhamiyah, Baghdad, Republic of Iraq
Occupation	Author and lecturer
Language	Arabic
Alma mater	American University of Beirut University of Texas
Genre	Social sciences
Subject	History, psychology, parapsychology
Notable works	A Study into the Nature of Iraqi Society, Preachers of the Sultans
Children	Hassan, Jaafar, Faisal, Sina'a

Early life and education

Born in Kadhimiya, Baghdad in 1913, to a religious and very traditional family. He grew up defying his family's strict non-modern-educational policy, where his father wanted him to learn a craft instead of reading books. Nevertheless, Al-Wardi grew up with a disliking for work and crafts and a strong liking for books.

He managed to finish his elementary and high school and was awarded the number one student in the Kingdom of Iraq. He later was appointed as a teacher in different elementary and high schools across Iraq, before winning a scholarship to the American University of Beirut, where he received his bachelor's degree in 1943. He was back in Iraq and was forced into marriage per his father's orders.

A few years later, he traveled to the United States to attain his master's and PhD degrees. He earned his master's degree in 1948 from The University of Texas and his PhD in 1950 from the same university. During that time he used to spend his summers in the United Kingdom learning English in available institutes.

Career

He came back to Iraq to start his career in writing many of his books based on the theory of Ibn Khaldun about Al-Badwa (Nomadic society) vs Al-Hadhara (Civil society).

Works

The most important works of Ali Al-Wardi are:

1. Psychological Insights from Modern Iraqi History
2. A Study into the Nature of Iraqi Society
3. The Personality of the Iraqi Individual: A Study of Iraqi Personality in Light of New Psychological Science
4. The Sultans' Preachers (Arabic: وعَّاظ السلاطين)
5. The Mockery of the Human Mind (Arabic: مهزلة العقل البشري)
6. Ibn Khaldoon's Teachings based on his Character, Civilization and Personality
7. The Sage of the Fine Arts
8. Dreams Between Science and Belief
9. The Secrets of a Successful Personality
10. That is How they Killed the Princess (water-cress)

Legacy

In 2014, the Iraqi Ministry of Culture, through its publishing house, Dar al-Mamoon, commissioned a team of the best Iraqi translators to translate al-Wardi's major work لمحات اجتماعية من تاريخ العراق الحديث (Social Glimpses of Iraq's Modern History).

On 31 January, 2024, the Iraqi government together with Ora Developers announced the signing of contract to construct a new residential city named "Ali Al-Wardi City". The planned new city, located approximately 25km southeast of Baghdad and spanning a total area of 61 million square meters, includes 120,000 different housing units along with green spaces, urban amenities, and smart city technology to apply cutting-edge standards in sustainability and environmental preservation. The project aims to reduce population pressure on Baghdad. At the time, it was announced as the largest project of its kind to be implemented in Iraq.

See also

• Ibn al-Wardi