Iskandariya (إسكندرية, also given as Iskandariyah, Iskanderiyah, Iskanderiya, Iskanderiyeh or Sikandariyeh) is an ancient town in central Iraq, one of a number of towns in the Near East named after Alexander the Great (Iskander in Arabic). It is largely populated by Shia Muslims, and is located about 25 miles (40 km) from Baghdad. The Near East is a term commonly used by archaeologists and historians, less commonly by journalists and commentators, to refer to the region encompassing the Levant (modern Israel, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon), Anatolia (modern Turkey), Mesopotamia (Iraq and eastern Syria), and the Iranian Plateau (Iran). ... Bust of Alexander III in the British Museum. ... Arabic (العربية) is a Semitic language, closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. ... Shiʻa Islam (Arabic شيعى follower; English has traditionally used Shiite) makes up the second largest sect of believers in Islam, constituting about 30%–35% of all Muslim. ... A Muslim is a believer in or follower of Islam. ... A street map of Baghdad Average temperature (red) and precipitations (blue) in Baghdad Baghdad (بغداد) is the capital of Iraq and the Baghdad Province. ...

In ancient times Iskandariya stood half way between Babylon (the place of Alexander's death) and Seleucia (the capital of the Seleucid Empire, very near to modern Baghdad). Babylon was the capital city of Babylonia in Mesopotamia (in contemporary Iraq, about 70 mi/110 km south of Baghdad). ... The name Seleucia may denote any one of several cities in the Seleucid Empire. ... The Seleucid Empire was one of several political states founded after the death of Alexander the Great, whose generals squabbled over the division of Alexanders empire. ...

During the late 1980s, Iskandariya was the site of a major element of President Saddam Hussein's programme to acquire nuclear weapons. The Al Qaqaa State Establishment, located in the town, is believed to be have been in charge of developing the non-nuclear components for a nuclear weapon. It was subsequently inspected by United Nations weapons inspectors and officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In 1989, the British journalist Farzad Bazoft was arrested there after visiting Iskandariya to check reports that an explosion at the Al Qaqaa plant had killed 700 people. He was subsequently executed by the Iraqi authorities. Events and trends The 1980s marked an abrupt shift towards more conservative lifestyles after the momentous cultural revolutions which took place in the 1960s and 1970s and the definition of the AIDS virus in 1981. ... Saddam Hussein Saddām Hussein ʻAbd al-Majīd al-Tikrīt, also spelled Husayn or Hussain; Arabic صدام حسين عبد المجيد التكريتي; born April 28, 1937 1) was President of Iraq from 1979 until 2003. ... The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 km (11 mi) above the epicenter. ... IAEA The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), established as an autonomous organization on July 29, 1957, seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for military purposes. ... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Farzad Bazoft was an 32-year-old Iran-born British journalist working as a freelance reporter for The Observer. ...

The town is also the location of a major factory, the al-Quds General Company for Mechanical Industries. In 2001, the Iraqi government explored the possibility of establishing a joint Iraqi-Belarusian tractor factory on the site. 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Iskandariya is one of the last big towns before Baghdad and possesses a major military air base, and as such was a major target for United States forces during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. It fell quickly but was subsequently the scene of a number of lethal guerrilla attacks against the occupying forces and the post-Saddam Iraqi security forces. On June 19, 2003, a soldier from the 804th Medical Brigade was killed when the military ambulance in which he was traveling was hit by a rocket propelled grenade near Iskandariya. Another attack, on November 9, killed a soldier from the 18th Military Police Brigade. Three more US soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb on January 28, 2004 and another bombing on February 4 killed yet another soldier. The 2003 invasion of Iraq, also called simply the Iraq War or Operation: Iraqi Freedom, is a war that began March 20, 2003, fought between a group of troops consisting primarily of American and British, but also Polish, Australian and several other nations forces, and Iraq. ... Guerrilla (also called a partisan) is a term borrowed from Spanish (from guerra meaning war) used to describe small combat groups. ... This article deals with the post-invasion period in Iraq and its occupation. ... June 19 is the 170th day of the year (171st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 195 days remaining. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A rocket propelled grenade (RPG) is a man-portable, shoulder-launched weapon capable of firing an explosive device longer distances than an otherwise unassisted soldier could throw. ... November 9 is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 52 days remaining. ... January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 4 is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

On February 10, a car bomb outside a police station killed at least 45 Iraqis and wounded 150. No coalition forces were killed or injured, but commentators suggested that the attack was both a strike against pro-coalition Iraqi forces and an attempt to create unrest between Shia and Sunni Muslims. February 10 is the 41st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... A car bomb is a bomb that is placed in a car or truck and is intended to be exploded while there. ...

This town is the location of Al Qa'qaa, a major industrial facility and the location of the Al Qa'qaa high explosives controversy. The Al Qaqaa State Establishment in Iraq (also known as al Qaqaa, al Qa Qaa or al QaQa; the difference in spelling is due to differing transliterations of the Arabic name) was a massive weapons facility 48 kilometres south of Baghdad. ... The Al Qaqaa high explosives controversy concerns the removal of about 340 tonnes of high explosives HMX and RDX before, during, or after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. ...

See also

• List of places in Iraq