Looking north along the Tigris towards Saddam's Presidential palace in April 2003

Tikrit (تكريت, also transliterated as Takrit or Tekrit) is a town in Iraq, located 140 km northwest of Baghdad on the Tigris river (at 34.61°N, 43.68°E). The town, with an estimated population in 2002 of about 28,900, is the administrative center of the province of Salah ad Din. Image File history File linksMetadata Tikrit9. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Tikrit9. ... To help compare orders of magnitude; this page lists lengths between 100 and 1,000 km (105 and 106 m). ... Location of Baghdad within Iraq Baghdad (Arabic: ‎ translit: , Kurdish: Bexda, from Persian Baagh-daad or Bag-Da-Du meaning “Garden of God” [1]) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ... The Tigris (Old Persian: Tigr, Syriac Aramaic: Deqlath, Arabic: دجلة, Dijla, Turkish: Dicle; biblical Hiddekil) is the eastern member of the pair of great rivers that define Mesopotamia, along with the Euphrates, which flows from the mountains of Anatolia through Iraq. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Categories: Stub | Provinces of Iraq ...

History

The town is first mentioned in the "Fall of Assyria Chronicle", as being a refuge for the Babylonian king Nabopolassar during his attack on the city of Assur in 615 BCE. Assyrian Empire Assyria in earliest historical times referred to a region on the Upper Tigris river, named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur. ... Nabopolassar (Akkadian:Nabû-apal-usur) was the first king (626-605 BC) of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. ... Assur, also spelled Ashur, from Assyrian Aššur, was the capital of ancient Assyria. ...

As Tagrit, it was the seat of the Maphrian of the Monophysites. Syriac (mafriano, one who bears fruit, i. ...

Over a thousand years ago, it possessed a fortress and a large Christian monastery. It was renowned as a centre for the production of woolen textiles. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Christianity. ...

The Arab Uqaylid Dynasty took hold of Tikrit in 1036.

Around 1137, the legendary Kurdish leader Saladin was born there; his many achievements include defending Egypt against the Catholic Crusaders and recapturing Jerusalem in 1187. The modern province of which Tikrit is the capital is named after him. // Groups BL1137 is the (now defunct) Unix group at Bell Labs in Murray Hill, NJ where Unix and C were invented. ... The Kurds are an ethnic group indigenous to a region often referred to as Kurdistan, an area which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. ... This article or section may contain inappropriate or misinterpreted citations. ... This article is about the medieval crusades. ... Jerusalem (Hebrew: , Yerushaláyim or Yerushalaim; Arabic: , al-Quds; official Arabic in Israel: أورشليم القدس, Urshalim-Al-Quds) is Israels capital, most populous, [1] and largest city, with a population of 724,000 (as of May 24, 2006 [2]) contained in 123 km². An ancient Middle Eastern city on the watershed... // Events May 1 - Battle of Cresson - Saladin defeats the crusaders July 4 - Saladin defeats Guy of Lusignan, King of Jerusalem, at the Battle of Hattin. ...

The town, and much of Iraq with it, was devastated in the 14th century by the Mongol invasion under Hulaggu. This was only the first of several barbarian devastations, the most recent beginning in March 2003. This 14th-century statue from south India depicts the gods Shiva (on the left) and Uma (on the right). ... Honorary guard of Mongolia. ...

In September 1917, British forces captured the town during a major advance against the Ottoman Empire during World War I. 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... Imperial motto (Ottoman Turkish) دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power (1683) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital Söğüt (1299-1326), Bursa (1326-1365), Edirne (1365-1453), Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) (1453-1922) Imperial anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Sovereigns Padishah... Combatants Allied Powers: British Empire France Italy Russian Empire United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Commanders Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Ferdinand Foch Nicholas II Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Reinhard Scheer Franz Josef I Oskar Potiorek İsmail Enver Ferdinand I Casualties Military dead: 5,520...

The town is now perhaps best known for being the birthplace in 1937 of the former President of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, who frequently liked to compare himself with Saladin. Many senior members of the Iraqi government during his rule were drawn from Saddam's own Tikriti tribe, the Al Bu Nasir, as were members of his Iraqi Republican Guard, chiefly because Saddam apparently felt that he was most able to rely on relatives and allies of his family. The Tikriti domination of the Iraqi government became something of an embarrassment to Saddam and prompted him in 1977 to abolish the use of surnames in Iraq to conceal the fact that so many of his key supporters bore the same surname, al-Tikriti (as did Saddam himself). 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti, (Arabic: ), (born April 28, 1937 ), was the President of Iraq from 1979 until the United States-led invasion of Iraq reached Baghdad on April 9, 2003. ... This article or section may contain inappropriate or misinterpreted citations. ... Iraqi President Saddam Hussein talks with elite Republican Guard officers in Baghdad on March 1, 2003. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ...

2003

In the opening weeks of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, many observers speculated that Saddam would return to Tikrit as his "last stronghold". The town was subjected to intense and horrific terror bombings meant to throw Saddam's Republican Guard out of the city and on April 13, 2003 several thousand US Marines and other foreign fighters aboard 300 armored vehicles converged on the town, meeting little or no resistance. With the fall of Tikrit, U.S. Major General Stanley McChrystal said, "I would anticipate that the major combat operations are over." Combatants Coalition Forces: United States United Kingdom Poland Australia South Korea Romania Spain Portugal Italy others. ... April 13 is the 103rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (104th in leap years). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 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. ...

However, during the subsequent occupation Tikrit became the scene of a number of insurgent attacks against the occupation forces. It is commonly regarded as being the northern angle of the "Sunni Triangle" within which the National Resistance is at its most intense. In June 2003, Abid Hamid Mahmud, Saddam Hussein's Presidential Secretary and the Ace of Diamonds on the most wanted 'Deck of Cards,' was captured in a joint raid by special operations forces and the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment of 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division. This article deals with the post-invasion period in Iraq and its occupation. ... Iraqi militants celebrating orders being given to the surrounding Coalition forces to stand down, Fallujah, May 1 2004. ... Map of the Sunni Triangle The Sunni Triangle refers to a roughly triangular area of Iraq to the northwest of Baghdad. ... Lieutenant General Abid Hamid Mahmud was an Iraqi military officer under Saddam Husseins deposed regime. ... The 1st Battalion is assigned again to the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood, TX, and deployed in 2002 to Guantanamo, Cuba, in 2003-04 to Tikrit, Iraq, and in 2005-06 to Baghdad, Iraq. ...

After the fall of Baghdad, Saddam Hussein was also sheltered in and around Tikrit by relatives, supporters and allies for a period of about six months. During his final period in hiding, he lived just outside the town of ad-Dawr, fifteen kilometres south of Tikrit. He was captured by Coalition forces, primarily the U.S. 4th Infantry Division, on December 13, 2003. Location of Baghdad within Iraq Baghdad (Arabic: ‎ translit: , Kurdish: Bexda, from Persian Baagh-daad or Bag-Da-Du meaning “Garden of God” [1]) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ... Ad-Dawr is a small agricultural town near the Iraqi town of Tikrit, Saddam Husseins birthplace. ... Coalition of the Willing is a phrase that has been used by the administration of United States President George W. Bush to refer to the nations whose governments supported (most of them not militarily) the United States position in the Iraq disarmament crisis and later the 2003 invasion of Iraq... It has been suggested that U.S. 1st Brigade 4th Infantry Division be merged into this article or section. ... December 13 is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, AFN Iraq ("Freedom Radio") broadcast propaganda and entertainment within Tikrit, among other locations. AFN Iraq is the American Forces Network of radio stations within Iraq. ...

2005

On November 22, 2005, 1st Brigade, U.S. 3rd Infantry Division, handed over control of Saddam Hussein's primary palace complex in Tikrit to the governor of Salah ah Din Province, who represented the Iraqi government. The palace complex had served as a headquarters for U.S. 4th Infantry Division, U.S. 1st Infantry Division, and U.S. 42nd Infantry Division. November 22 is the 326th day (327th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Shoulder sleeve patch of the United States Army 3d Infantry Division (Mechanized). ... It has been suggested that U.S. 1st Brigade 4th Infantry Division be merged into this article or section. ... The 1st Infantry Division of the United States Army —nicknamed the Big Red One after its shoulder patch—is the oldest continuously serving division in the American Army. ... The 42d Infantry Division was a unit of the United States Army in World War I and World War II, and is the division of the New York National Guard. ...

In popular culture

In the hit TV series Lost, Sayid Jarrah, a former soldier in the Republican Guard, was born in Tikrit. It is possible that his father (a national hero) and himself had positions in the Republican Guard due to Saddam's favoritism of Tikriti locals.

See also

• List of places in Iraq

This is a list of places in Iraq. ...

Sources and External links

• Catholic Encyclopaedia
• BBC NEWS: Tikrit: Iraq's last stronghold
• Google Local Satellite Photo of Tikrit

Coordinates: 34°36′N 43°41′E The Catholic Encyclopedia is an English-language encyclopedia published in 1913 by the The Encyclopedia Press, designed to give authoritative information on the entire cycle of Catholic interests, action and doctrine. // History The writing of the encyclopedia began on January 11, 1905 under the supervision of five editors: Charles G... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...