Amarah
Amarah
ٱلْعَمَارَة | |
---|---|
City | |
Coordinates: 32°0′N 47°0′E / 32.000°N 47.000°E | |
Country | Iraq |
Governorate | Maysan |
Founded | 1860 |
Elevation | 12 m (39 ft) |
Population (2012) | |
• Total | 511,542 |
Amarah (
It had a population of about 340,000 in 2002, 420,000 in 2005, and 1,100,000 in 2020.
History
The city was founded in the 1860s as an Ottoman military outpost from which the empire tried to control the warring Banu Lam and Al Bu Muhammad tribes.[1]
In 1915 Amarah was captured by the British.[3] Before the revolution in 1958 Amarah was known for its feudal system with local estate-holders maintaining private militias.[2]
Abdul Rahim al-Rahmani founded the first bookstore in Amarah in 1922, and the city's first cinema in 1950.[4]
During the eight-year Iran–Iraq War, the eastern parts of the province became the site of several battles, notably Operation Before the Dawn launched by Iran. Since the Baghdad-Basra highway cut through the province, Iran targeted the area due to its strategic significance to the Iraqis.
After the
Throughout the 90's, the town's population swelled with refugees from the marshes.
Iraq War (2003–2011)
This section needs additional citations for verification. (February 2015) |
During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the city made a final stand as a center of resistance to Saddam Hussein. The city was soon occupied by British forces, which set up two camps. Local residents hired diggers to unearth the bodies in the mass grave after twelve years. However, in June 2003, citizens of Amarah took up arms against patrolling British forces, killing six soldiers each in two separate attacks, south of the City in Majar al-Kabir. The British bases frequently experienced mortar attacks afterward. The books Sniper One by Sergeant Daniel Mills, Dusty Warriors by Richard Holmes and Barefoot Soldier by Lance Corporal Johnson Beharry VC all contain very good accounts on the events in Al Amarah during this period.[citation needed]
On June 18, 2008, the
During this time, the 4th Brigade of the US Army's 1st Cavalry Division established a semi-permanent presence in the province by constructing two large operating bases in the Province and several smaller company outposts. Specific within 4th Brigade, Amarah and its surrounding towns were covered by 2nd Battalion of the 7th Cavalry Regiment, which established FOB Garryowen just west of the city proper. Throughout 2008 and 2009, over 2,000 US troops from the 1st Cavalry Division partnered with the Iraqi Army, police, and the Border Enforcement Brigade in the Province to defeat Shia extremism and interdict illicit arms smuggling across the Iranian border. Working closely with British investigators and Iraqi police, US troops also successfully detained 11 out of 17 individuals who were wanted for the murder of British soldiers in Majr Al Khabir back in 2003. All 11 suspects faced murder charges in a Baghdad court.[citation needed]
Provincial elections in January 2009 saw a dramatic shift in the balance of power in Amarah and Maysan Province in general. In an election widely recognized as both credible and legitimate, Maysan voters broke the six-year-long grip that Sadrist parties had on power in the Provincial Council resulting in an even split between Sadrist and Islamic Dawa Party affiliates in the council. In May 2009, the PC formally appointed a Dawa Party member to the governorship to replace the radical Sadrist leadership that had held power for years in the Province.[citation needed]
Notable people
Lihadh Al-Gazali, professor of clinical genetics, was born in Amarah in 1950
Climate
Amarah experiences a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh) with extremely hot and dry summers and cool, wetter winters. On July 31, 2020, a temperature of 53.0 °C (127.4 °F) was recorded.[9]
Climate data for Amarah (1991-2020) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 17.4 (63.3) |
20.5 (68.9) |
25.8 (78.4) |
32.0 (89.6) |
39.2 (102.6) |
44.4 (111.9) |
46.3 (115.3) |
46.4 (115.5) |
42.7 (108.9) |
35.7 (96.3) |
25.4 (77.7) |
19.9 (67.8) |
33.0 (91.3) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 11.8 (53.2) |
14.3 (57.7) |
— | 25.2 (77.4) |
32.1 (89.8) |
36.7 (98.1) |
38.4 (101.1) |
37.9 (100.2) |
33.9 (93.0) |
27.4 (81.3) |
18.7 (65.7) |
13.4 (56.1) |
26.2 (79.2) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 7.0 (44.6) |
9.1 (48.4) |
13.0 (55.4) |
18.5 (65.3) |
24.6 (76.3) |
28.2 (82.8) |
30.0 (86.0) |
29.2 (84.6) |
25.3 (77.5) |
19.9 (67.8) |
13.1 (55.6) |
8.7 (47.7) |
18.9 (66.0) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 31.4 (1.24) |
19.3 (0.76) |
34.6 (1.36) |
18.2 (0.72) |
8.4 (0.33) |
0.1 (0.00) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.9 (0.04) |
9.2 (0.36) |
35.1 (1.38) |
33.2 (1.31) |
190.4 (7.5) |
Average precipitation days | 8 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 45 |
Average relative humidity (%)
|
71.2 | 62.9 | 53.9 | 45.6 | 34.5 | 24.9 | 22.9 | 24.5 | 28.6 | 40.1 | 58.3 | 69.8 | 44.8 |
Source: |
See also
Bibliography
- Inside The Resistance: The Iraqi Insurgency and the Future of the Middle East, Zaki Chehab, Nation Books, 2005
References
- ^ a b "Al 'Amarah". Encarta Online Encyclopedia. Microsoft. 2001. Retrieved 2006-10-20.
- ^ a b Kjeilen, Tore. "Al Amarah". Encyclopaedia of the Orient. Archived from the original on 21 October 2006. Retrieved 2006-10-20.
- ^ "al-'Amarah". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2006-10-20.
- ISBN 9789775783264.
- ^ Hauser, Christine (2006-10-20). "Shiite Militia Seizes Control of Iraqi City". New York Times. Retrieved 2015-02-07.
- ^ Semple, Kirk (October 20, 2006). "Attack on Iraqi City Shows Militia's Power". New York Times. Retrieved 2006-10-20.
- ^ Kim Sengupta, "Bloody battle for Amarah a glimpse of future," The Independent (21 October 2006). Retrieved 7 February 2015.
- ^ Londono, Ernesto and Aahad Ali, "Iraq, US Launch Crackdown," Washington Post (June 20, 2008). Retrieved 7 February 2015.
- ^ "40680: Amarah (Iraq)". ogimet.com. OGIMET. July 31, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
- ^ "World Weather Information Service – Amarah". United Nations. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 2 August 2023.