Nāşirīyah (also transliterated as Nassiriya or Nasiriya; in Arabic الناصرية, al-Nasiriyah or an-Nasiriyah) is a city in Iraq. It is on the Euphrates River about 225 miles southeast of Baghdad, near the ruins of the ancient city of Ur. It is the capital of the province of Dhi Qar. According to the 1987 census the city had a population of 265,937 people; the estimated population in 2003 was 560,200. Image File history File links Locator map of Iraq showing relative position of Nasiriyah Based on Image:Iraq_sm03. ... Arabic (; , less formally, ) is the largest member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. ... The Euphrates (the traditional Greek name for the river, which is in Old Persian Ufrat, Aramaic Prâth/Frot, in Arabic الفرات, in Turkish Fırat and in ancient Assyrian language Pu-rat-tu) is the westernmost of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia (Bethnahrin in Aramaic), the other being the... Location of Baghdad within Iraq Baghdad (Arabic: , from Persian بغداد , meaning given by angels) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Province. ... UR, Ur, or ur can refer to several things: The City of Ur Ur, the first known continent Royal Game of Ur Unreal the computer game Ur is the name of a minor Gnostic deity. ... Dhi Qar (Arabic: ذي قار) is a governorate in Iraq with an area of 12,900 km². In 2003 the estimated population of the governorate was 1,454,200 people. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The majority of the population of Nasiriyah are Shia Muslims. The city museum has a large collection of Sumerian, Assyrian, Babylonian, and Abbasid artifacts. The ruins of the ancient cities of Ur and Larsa are located nearly. 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. ... Islam (Arabic: ; ( (help· info)), peaceful submission (to the will of God)) is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions, the worlds second-largest religion, and the fastest growing religion in the world. ... Sumer (or Shumer, Sumeria, Shinar, native ki-en-gir) formed the southern part of Mesopotamia from the time of settlement by the Sumerians until the time of Babylonia. ... Assyria in earliest historical times referred to a region on the Upper Tigris river, named for its original capital, the ancient city of Ashur. ... Babylonia, named for the city of Babylon, was an ancient state in Mesopotamia (in modern Iraq), combining the territories of Sumer and Akkad. ... Abbasid provinces during the caliphate of Harun al-Rashid Abbasid (Arabic: العبّاسيّون AbbāsÄ«yÅ«n) was the dynastic name generally given to the caliphs of Baghdad, the second of the two great Sunni dynasties of the Islamic empire, that overthrew the Umayyad caliphs. ... UR, Ur, or ur can refer to several things: The City of Ur Ur, the first known continent Royal Game of Ur Unreal the computer game Ur is the name of a minor Gnostic deity. ... Larsa (the Biblical Ellasar, Genesis 14:1), was an important city of ancient Babylonia, the site of the worship of the sun-god, Shamash, represented by the ancient ruin mound of Senkereh (Senkera). ...

The city was founded in 1870 by Sheikh Nasir Sadun of the Muntafiq tribal confederation, after whom it is named. During World War I the British conquered the city, controlled at the time by the Ottoman Empire, in July 1915. Some 400 British and Indian soldiers were killed in the battle for Nasiriyah, and up to 2,000 Turks. 1870 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Shaikh (شيخ, also rendered as Sheik, Shaykh or Sheikh) is a word in the Arabic language meaning an elder or a revered old man. ... Combatants Entente Powers Central Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties > 5 million military deaths > 3 million military deaths {{{notes}}} World War I, also known as the First World War and (before 1939) the Great War, the War of the Nations, War to End All Wars, was a world... Imperial motto (Ottoman Turkish) Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (the Eternal State) The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power (1683) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital Bursa (1335-1365), Edirne (1365-1453), Ä°stanbul (1453-1922) Imperial anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Sovereigns Padishah of the Osmanli Dynasty Population ca 40... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

During the 1991 Gulf War, Nasiriyah marked the furthest point to which coalition forces penetrated Iraq, with the United States 101st Airborne Division reaching the main road just outside the city. In March 1991, following the American withdrawal at the war's end, the Shia population of Nasiriyah took part in the revolt against the rule of Saddam Hussein. The revolt was violently subdued by the Iraqi military with heavy loss of life and much physical damage. 1991 (MCMXCI) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Combatants U.S.-led coalition Iraq Commanders General Norman Schwarzkopf, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell Saddam Hussein Strength 660,000 600,000+ Casualties 345 dead, 1,000 wounded 100,000 dead, 300,000 wounded, 35,000 civilian {{{notes}}} The 1991 Gulf War was a conflict between... The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) —nicknamed the Screaming Eagles— is an air assault division of the United States Army mainly trained for air assault operations. ... Wikinews has news related to this article: Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein in a Suit Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti, (Arabic ), born April 28, 1937 , was President of Iraq from the year of 1979 until his removal and capture after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. ...

In March 2003 Nasiriyah was a battle ground in the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. Phillip Mitchell of the International Institute for Strategic Studies described Nasiriyah's strategic importance to The Guardian: "Nasiriyah is a major administrative headquarters and is also [Iraqi General] Majid's military district headquarters. It is a major strategic crossing point of the Euphrates. For all those reasons Nasiriyah will be well defended, which will slow the Mech [invasion] down for a while." [1] Heavy fighting took place between Iraqi forces and the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade under the call sign "Task Force Tarawa" of the US Marine Corps between about March 23 and March 29, in which 22 Marines were killed and over 150 were wounded, but the Iraqi resistance was crushed fairly rapidly thereafter. On March 23, a US convoy was ambushed near the city, killing 11 soldiers and resulting in multiple soldiers including Private Jessica Lynch becoming prisoners of war during the conflict. 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The neutrality of this article is disputed. ... The International Institute for Strategic Studies is a British think tank based in London. ... The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ... United States Marine Corps Emblem The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is the second smallest of the five branches of the United States armed forces, with 170,000 active and 40,000 reserve Marines as of 2002. ... March 23 is the 82nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (83rd in Leap years). ... March 29 is the 88th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (89th in Leap years). ... March 23 is the 82nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (83rd in Leap years). ... An undated photo of US Army PFC Jessica Lynch (DoD photo) Jessica Lynch (born April 26, 1983 in Palestine, West Virginia), a Quartermaster Corps Private First Class (PFC) in the United States Army, was a prisoner of war of the Iraqi military in the 2003 invasion of Iraq who was...

Nasiriyah has been relatively calm since the fall of Saddam Hussein. A truck bomb killed 17 Italian soldiers in November 2003, and clashes erupted here in April 2004 during the Mahdi uprising. A car bomb is a bomb that is placed in a car or truck and is intended to be exploded while there. ... 2003 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December A timeline of events in the news for November, 2003. ... 2004 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December Deaths in April • 18 Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara • 19 Norris McWhirter • 22 Pat Tillman • 24 Estée Lauder Other recent deaths Ongoing events EU Enlargement Exploration of Mars: Rovers Haiti Rebellion Reconstruction of Iraq – Occupation & Resistance Israeli...

See also

• List of places in Iraq