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{{about|the town in Iraq|other uses|Auja (disambiguation)}}
{{Refimprove|date=November 2009}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!--See the Table at Infobox Settlement for all fields and descriptions of usage-->| name               = Al-Awja
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| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Iraq
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| subdivision_type1  = [[Governorates of Iraq|Governorate]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Saladin Governorate|Salah ad Din]]
| subdivision_type2  = District
| subdivision_name2  = [[Tikrit District|Tikrit]]
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| established_date   = 1877
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'''Al-Awja''' ({{langx|ar|العوجة|al-ʿAwjā}}) is a [[village]] 8 miles (13&nbsp;km) south of [[Tikrit, Iraq]] on the western bank of the [[Tigris]]. It is mainly inhabited by [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] [[Muslims|Muslim]] [[Arabs]].

The village is known for being the hometown and place of burial of former Iraqi President [[Saddam Hussein]].

== History ==
Al-Awja is located between the edge of the plateau and the Tigris basin. Its name is derived from the river’s bends and twists there. Al-Awja is an agricultural land. It was mentioned in the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] calendar in 1877 that it was a rich agricultural village.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Al-Nasseri |first=Ibrahim Fadhil |date=2023 |title=Archaeological Map Guide to the Historic City of Tikrit |url=https://ia800500.us.archive.org/30/items/pdfjoiner-92/pdfjoiner%20%2892%29.pdf |journal=Dar al-Ibda'a for Printing and Publishing |language=ar |location=[[Baghdad]]}}</ref> According to historians Jaber al-Tikriti and Bahjat al-Tikriti said in their article "''Geographical and Historical Locations in Tikrit''" published in the ''Encyclopedia of the City of Tikrit'' in 2001, the first maps of the region were drawn up in the first decades of this century, including topographical and other maps related to the ownership of lands and orchards in al-Awja. And most of the families of this clan reside in the village to supervise and manage their agricultural land.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Al-Tikriti |first=Jabir Khalil |last2=Al-Tikriti |first2=Bahjat Kamel |title=Geographical and Historical Locations in Tikrit |url=https://www.google.com.sa/books/edition/Maws%C5%AB%CA%BBat_mad%C4%ABnat_Tikr%C4%ABt/LBTUeeTLjbgC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%D9%88%D8%AA%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%B4%D8%B1+%D8%A3%D9%85%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%83+%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%AA+%D9%81%D9%8A+%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%AC%D8%A9&dq=%D9%88%D8%AA%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%B4%D8%B1+%D8%A3%D9%85%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%83+%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%AA+%D9%81%D9%8A+%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%AC%D8%A9&printsec=frontcover |journal=Encyclopedia of the City of Tikrit |language=Ar |edition=1st |publisher=Dar al-Hurriyya |volume=6 |pages=330-331 |archive-date=2025-01-23 |access-date=2025-09-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250123093623/https://www.google.com.sa/books/edition/Maws%C5%AB%CA%BBat_mad%C4%ABnat_Tikr%C4%ABt/LBTUeeTLjbgC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%D9%88%D8%AA%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%B4%D8%B1+%D8%A3%D9%85%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%83+%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%AA+%D9%81%D9%8A+%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%AC%D8%A9&dq=%D9%88%D8%AA%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%B4%D8%B1+%D8%A3%D9%85%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%83+%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%AA+%D9%81%D9%8A+%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%AC%D8%A9&printsec=frontcover |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref>

An archaeological hill in the west of al-Awja contains pottery shards from the [[Islamic Golden Age]]. Ibrahim Fadhil al-Nasseri believed that this hill was the site of an extinct monastery called Dar al-Gharab, which was mentioned in heritage books.<ref name=":0" />

=== After 2003 ===
When Saddam was captured by [[Joint Special Operations Command|JSOC]] [[Task Force 121]] and [[4th Infantry Division (United States)|4th Infantry Division]] during [[Operation Red Dawn]], he was hidden only a few miles from [[ad-Dawr]]. Saddam Hussein was buried in this village before dawn on December 31, 2006, less than 24 hours after his [[Execution of Saddam Hussein|execution]] took place.

During the fighting in the [[Second Battle of Tikrit (March–April 2015)|Second Battle of Tikrit]], Saddam Hussein's tomb was levelled by [[Islamic State|ISIS]]. After Iraqi forces took control of the village, Shia militiamen of the [[Popular Mobilization Committee]] put its insignia around the village, including that of Major Iranian General [[Qasem Soleimani]].<ref>{{cite news |last= Freeman |first= Colin |title= Saddam Hussein's tomb destroyed as Isil plants bombs in Iraq |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph#Website|The Telegraph]] |location= London |date= 16 March 2015 |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11474192/Saddam-Husseins-tomb-destoyed-as-Isil-plants-bombs-in-Iraq.html |access-date= 20 May 2021}}</ref>

==References==
<references/>

{{Saddam Hussein}}{{Iraq-geo-stub}}
[[Category:Populated places in Saladin Governorate|Awja]]
[[Category:Populated places on the Tigris River]]
[[Category:Saddam Hussein]]