Dr. Ahmed Naseem Susa is one of the scholars and geniuses of irrigation engineering, a historian, and a writer. He was born in the city of Hilla in 1900 and completed his elementary education there. After that, he traveled to Beirut to complete his secondary education.
• He joined the American University of Colorado and earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering in 1928.
• He obtained his doctorate in 1930 from Johns Hopkins University in the United States with honors.
• He was elected a member of the renowned American scientific organization (Phi Beta Kappa), and in 1929, the University of Washington awarded him the (Wiedell) Prize, which is granted annually to the writer of the best article that contributes to supporting peace between the countries of the world.
• After returning to Iraq, he was appointed as an engineer in the Iraqi Irrigation Department in 1930, and then he held several technical positions in this department for 18 years, until he was appointed in 1946 as the assistant to the head of the committee formed to study major Iraqi irrigation projects. In 1947, he was appointed as the General Director of Surveying and then as the General Director in the Ministry of Agriculture in 1954, then returned as the General Director of Surveying and remained in this position until 1957, presenting what others had not in projects that led to the development of irrigation projects throughout the country.
• During 1939 and 1940, he headed the two delegations sent by the Iraqi government to Saudi Arabia to study irrigation projects in Al-Kharj and supervise their implementation.
• When the famous Reconstruction Council was established in the royal era in 1951, Dr. Ahmed Susa was appointed as the deputy chairman of the council.
• He was one of the first members of the Cultural Scientific Assembly since its establishment in 1946 until his death.
• Dr. Ahmed Susa is considered one of the oldest Iraqi engineers who graduated from Western universities. Although he was of Jewish faith, he later embraced Islam, and this story is recorded in his memoirs during his time at the American University in Beirut. He loved the Arabic language of the Quran and delighted in listening to the recitation of Quranic verses, stating, "I used to go to Mount Lebanon and, under the shade of a tree, I would recite Quranic verses." This was not enough for him, as he mentions that in America, he devoted many years to reading the philosophy of religions and uncovered during that period the truth of Islam and the reality of history that was distorted by the Jews to fulfill their personal desires. He wrote about his conversion to Islam in a book titled (My Path to Islam).
• He represented Iraq at several engineering conferences in Arab and foreign countries as the head of the delegation or a member of it, and he is
• one of the founders of the Iraqi Engineers Association in 1938.
• He received numerous local and international awards, including the Medal of the Civil Order of Al-Rafidain, and Saudi Arabia awarded him the Order of King Abdulaziz.
• Ahmed Susa was interested in ancient civilizational research in Iraq, as he studied Iraq's civilizational history and wrote about the systems of water channels and dams in ancient civilizations as part of this interest. His works exceed fifty books, technical reports, and atlases, in addition to over 116 articles and research published in various newspapers and scientific journals. His writings encompass fields such as irrigation, engineering, agriculture, geography, history, and civilization. Some of his important works include:
- (On My Way to Islam) in two volumes 1936
- (The System of Privileges in the Ottoman State) published in English in 1933.
- (Sources on Iraq’s Irrigation) in 1942.
- (The Euphrates Valley) in two volumes in 1944-1945.
- (The Development of Irrigation in Iraq) 1946.
- (Guide to Iraq's Irrigation) in English in 1944.
- (Irrigation in Iraq) in English in 1945.
- (The Hindi Dam) in English in 1945.
- (Irrigation of Samarra during the Abbasid Caliphate) in two volumes in 1948.
- In the 1960s, his work (The Floods of Baghdad in History) was published in three parts in 1963, 1965, and 1966.
- The History of Jews in Iraq
- Arabs and Jews in History
- Al-Idrisi in Arab Geography.
- (The System of Privileges in the Ottoman State) published in English in 1933.
- (Sources on Iraq's Irrigation) in 1942.
- (The Euphrates Valley) in two volumes in 1944-1945.
- (The Development of Irrigation in Iraq) 1946.
- (Guide to Iraq's Irrigation) in English in 1944.
- (Irrigation in Iraq) in English in 1945.
- (The Hindi Dam) in English in 1945.
- (Irrigation of Samarra during the Abbasid Caliphate) in two volumes in 1948.
- In the 1960s, his work (The Floods of Baghdad in History) was published in three parts in 1963, 1965, and 1966.
- The History of Jews in Iraq
- Arabs and Jews in History
- Al-Idrisi in Arab Geography.
He passed away in Baghdad in 1982.