History
The Institute was founded in 1989 by a consortium of American universities, colleges, and museums in order to promote scholarly research in and on Iraq and exchange between American and Iraqi scholars. Having received permission from Iraqi authorities, TARII began the process of establishing an institute in Baghdad in the fall of 1990.
At that time, the initial scope of the institute was to be limited to Ancient and Medieval studies, with some latitude to include fields that related to such studies. Philology, epigraphy, and related studies in the ancient fields were completely acceptable, as were grammatical, literary, historical, and other approaches in Medieval manuscript research. Discussions seemed to indicate that there might be some hope of scholars working in the National Archives and in the libraries of the Abdul Qadir al-Gailani Mosque in Baghdad and the Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf. The National Archives housed a rich collection of Ottoman and later documents related to Iraq.
The organization hired its first Resident Director in June 1990, and he and his wife were scheduled to arrive in Baghdad in September. The Kuwait Crisis of early August and the ensuing Gulf War prevented them from taking up residence. During the following 13 years of sanctions, the Iraqi authorities made it clear that they would accept the institute in Baghdad, but the continued sanctions precluded the possibility. Seeing little chance of an end in the embargo, the Board of the institute decided in 1994 to put the organization in a dormant state, continuing to make yearly reports to federal and state oversight bodies but suspending other operations.
Anticipating another major change in Iraq, the Board met in conjunction with the Middle East Studies Association in Washington in November 2002. At that meeting, it was decided to revive the organization, renaming it The American Academic Research Institute in Iraq (TAARII), and to call a general meeting of Institutional Members, in preparation for adapting to a situation in which the regime in Iraq would be changed or the sanctions would be lifted.
Collaboration and work on an interdisciplinary research center and library first began in 2003 with a visit by Dr. McGuire Gibson, founder of TARII. In 2021, TARII furnished and equipped the center, with its library, hostel, and office, with the support of the US Embassy, including the shipment of the TARII library collection to Baghdad. Library donations, however, are ongoing so the library continues to grow.
Legally recognized as a registered non-governmental organization (NGO) in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, a rare status for US-incorporated NGOs, in 2022, the TARII Research Center and Library was then formally founded and continues with the support of ministry and academic officials in Iraq, as well as the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in Washington, DC and the US Embassy in Baghdad. TARII’s officers and staff are now working to open the TARII Research Center and Library in Baghdad for public access.
TARII also has a regional office in Erbil, now located at the University of Kurdistan Hewler..
Timeline
1989
Founding of the institute as the American Academy of Research in Baghdad (AARB)
1994
Due to the embargo, the Institute is moved to a dormant state
2002
Board reconvenes and votes to reopen the institute as The American Academic Research Institute in Iraq (TAARII)
2003
Efforts begin to establish a physical center in Baghdad and programming begins
2017
As the institute develops, it adopts the new business name of The Academic Research Institute in Iraq (TARII)
2022
TARII is recognized and registered as a non-governmental organization (NGO) in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
The TARII Research Center and Library is formally founded in Baghdad. The Board of Directors votes to name the library "The McGuire Gibson Research Library”.
TARII’s Regional Office in Erbil is established, now housed at the University of Kurdistan Hewler.
2025
TARII signs a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nineveh Governorate and the Institute for the Study and Ancient Cultures, University of Chicago, to establish the TARII Culture and Research Center in Mosul.
