How did the Ottoman conquest of Baghdad change Iraq’s political connections?

The Ottoman conquest of Baghdad in 1534, led by Sultan Süleyman I, fundamentally transformed Iraq’s political orientation. By incorporating the region into the Ottoman Empire, the conquest ended Iraq's previous political alignment with the Iranian plateau and the Safavid dynasty.1

This shift resulted in a complete geopolitical reorientation westward, moving Iraq away from its historical ties to "Persian Iraq" and toward the Ottoman lands in Syria and Anatolia. The Zagros Mountains were established as the new frontier between the Ottoman and Iranian spheres, though this border remained fluid due to ongoing conflicts. Over the following centuries, administrative reforms—particularly those under the governorship of Midhat Paşa—further solidified these connections, tying Iraq more closely to Istanbul than ever before.123