Nasiriyah

Nasiriyah is a city in Iraq. It lies on the lower Euphrates River about 360 kilometres (220 miles) southeast of Baghdad, near the ruins of the ancient city of Ur. It is the capital of Dhi Qar Governorate. Its population in 2018 was about 558,000, making it the tenth largest city in Iraq. A diverse population of Muslims, Mandaeans and Jews lived there in the early 20th century. Today, its population is mostly Shia Muslims.

Nasiriyah was founded by the Muntafiq tribe in the late 19th century during the Ottoman era. Since then, it has become a major transportation hub. Nasiriyah is the centre of the date-growing region. The city's cottage industries include boat building, carpentry and silver making. The city's museum houses a large collection of Sumerian, Assyrian, Babylonian and Abbasid artifacts. The ruins of the ancient cities of Ur and Larsa are located nearby. The Euphrates River merges with the Tigris River for the final time about 10 kilometres from the city. Ziggurat of Ur in Nasiriyah

Al-Chibayish Marshes in Nasiriyah

The city was named after its founder, Nasser Pasha Al-Saadoun, which is the current name.

The remains of the city of Ur and the Ziggurat of Ur are clearly visible in the background.

Ziggurat of Ur

The city of Nasiriyah, known by its historical name Ur, is famous as the capital of the Sumerian Kingdom. The city became the first civilization to be established in the world, dating back to before the Ubaid civilization 7000 BC, as it included the first city in history, the city of Eridu, which was mentioned in the Sumerian King List. On its land, the Sumerian civilization was established in the kingdoms of (Ur, Lagash, Uruk). The Prophet Abraham was born in it, the remains of which still exist in the city, and next to it is the House of Abraham. It formed an important part of the civilizations (Akkadian, Babylonian and Assyrian), and was an important source of national wealth for those empires, for its important agricultural crops and fish at the time. It also represented the religious history of the Mesopotamian civilization that followed the city of Nippur. The importance of the city of Ur declined during the successive eras of the Babylonian, Assyrian, Persian and Greek civilizations. During the Persian era in 609 AD, the Dhi Qar region, known today as Nasiriyah, witnessed a battle between the Arab and Persian tribes in which the Arabs defeated the Persians.