Bidspirit auction | Iraqi Republic Founding Medal, 1958

Iraqi Republic Founding Medal, 1958 - A star-form medal in what appears to be gilt bronze, with a central roundel depicting a map of Iraq and Arabic inscription reading ”Republic of Iraq.” The reverse bears an Arabic inscription commemorating the establishment of the Republic with the corresponding date 1377 AH / 1958 AD. The medal is suspended from a red and white striped ribbon. This medal was issued to commemorate the 14 July Revolution of 1958, which overthrew the Hashemite monarchy in Iraq and established the Republic under Abd al-Karim Qasim. The 14 July 1958 Revolution saw a group of army officers led by Abd al-Karim Qasim overthrow King Faisal II and the Hashemite monarchy, ending British-aligned rule established after the First World War and proclaiming the Republic of Iraq. The coup resulted in the killing of the royal family and Prime Minister Nuri al-Said, and marked a decisive break with the Baghdad Pact and Western-oriented foreign policy in favour of a period of military and nationalist governance under Qasim. Medals of this type were struck to mark the new republican era, using imagery of the national territory and Arabic commemorative text dated by both the Islamic (1377 AH) and Gregorian calendars.