Iskan, Al Iskan or Al-Iskan () Arabic: الإسكان, are a series of cities built and founded by the 24th prime minister of Iraq, the late Abdul-Karim Qasim. He built an Al-Iskan in each of the 18 provinces of Iraq as a bid to help implement a number of positive domestic changes that benefited Iraqi society, thus; oversaw the building of 35,000 residential units to house the poor and destitute of Iraq.Farouk–Sluglett, Marion; Sluglett, Peter (2001). Iraq Since 1958: From Revolution to Dictatorship. I.B. Tauris. pp. 76–78.
In the 1950s and 60s, poverty and hardship were widespread across Iraq and to combat this issue, Abd al-Karim Qasim built these cities to house the poor and homeless of Iraq meaning that all the residents of Al-Iskan in each governorate come from an impoverished and deprived background, due to this – these cities are seen as rough neighbourhoods where kidnapping, murder and other major crimes are rife compared to other areas of Iraq.
Provinces where an Iskan was built Al Anbar Babil Baghdad Basra Dhi Qar Al-Qādisiyyah Diyala Duhuk Erbil Karbala Kirkuk Maysan Muthanna Najaf Nineveh Saladin Sulaymaniyah Wasit
See also Governorates of Iraq List of cities in Iraq Iraq War Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011)
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