View source for Samawah

{{Redirect|Samawa|the language|Sumbawa language}}
{{More citations needed|date=February 2008}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->| official_name      = Samawah
| other_name         = 
| native_name        = {{langx|ar|ٱلسَّمَاوَة}}  <!-- for cities whose native name is not in English -->
| nickname           = Samawa
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|alt1    = Kyoto Tower viewed from Kiyomizu-dera Temple
|image2  = المبنى الحجري.jpg{{!}}
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|image3  = مدينة السماوة.jpg{{!}}
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|image4  = Gareus Temple.jpg{{!}}
|alt4    = Kyoto Imperial Palace
|image5  = 20160104-Lake in Samawa desert Iraq 0356.jpg{{!}}
|alt5    = Ginkaku-ji
|image6 = Sothern Palm Sunset.jpg
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| image_caption      = Qaser Al Gaader Hotel in Samawah
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| pushpin_map        = Iraq
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| pushpin_map_caption = Samawah's location inside Iraq
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| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = {{flag|Iraq}}
| subdivision_type1  = Province
| subdivision_name1  = [[Muthanna Province|Muthanna]]
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| leader_title       = Mayor
| leader_name        = Abdul Hussein Khalaf Hamza <ref name="http://www.iraqinews.com">[http://www.iraqinews.com/baghdad-politics/new-samawa-mayor-appointed/ New Samawa mayor appointed]</ref>
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| population_est     = 152890 <ref name="http://www.worldcities.us">[http://www.worldcities.us/As-Samawah/ As Samāwah]</ref>
| pop_est_as_of      = 2011
| population_rank    = 20th <ref name="http://population.mongabay.com/population/iraq">[http://population.mongabay.com/population/iraq/ The largest cities in Iraq, ranked by population]</ref>
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| timezone           = Arabia Standard Time
| utc_offset         = +3
| timezone_DST       = No DST
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| coordinates        = {{coord|31|19|N|45|17|E|region:IQ|display=inline}}
| elevation_footnotes = <!--for references: use <ref> </ref> tags-->
| elevation_m        = 9
| elevation_ft       = 29
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| postal_code        = 66001
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}}
'''Samawah''' or '''As-Samawah''' ({{langx|ar|ٱلسَّمَاوَة|as-Samāwah}}) is a city in [[Iraq]], 280 kilometres (174&nbsp;mi) southeast of [[Baghdad]].<ref>[http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/announce/2005/12/1201-2.html MOFA: Grassroots Human Security Grant Aid to Samawah, Iraq<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:Martyrs_monument.jpg|right|thumb|223px|Martyr's Monument and Parade Ground]] -->

The city of Samawah is the modern capital of the [[Al Muthanna Governorate]]. The city is located midway between Baghdad and [[Basra]], at the northern edge of the governorate. The province was established in 1975; prior to that date it was a unified province along with [[Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate|Qadissiya]] (Diwaniya) and [[Najaf Governorate|Najaf]]. <!--[[Image:Samawa1.jpg|right|thumb|223px|Samawa]]-->

==History and attractions==

=== Early history ===
[[Image:Shorja samawa.jpg|right|thumb|223px|''Suq Al Masgoof'']]
The city was settled by the Arab tribe of [[Banu Quda'a]] around the 3rd century AD. It is built on both sides of the Euphrates river; there are four bridges in the centre of town for crossing between the two sides. The west bank of the city contains the commercial heart of the city, and includes the old town and the [[Jewish quarter (diaspora)|Jewish quarter]], ''agd al yahood''.  The west bank is the site of the covered market ''[[Suq Al Masgoof]]'', which dates to the [[History of Iraq#Ottoman Iraq and Mamluk rule|Ottoman period]]. The area surrounding the market is the old city with its Byzantine maze of crowded markets and streets.
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Crowded old town.jpg|left|thumb|223px|Old city around Suq Al Masgoof with crowded buildings{{Pufc|1=Crowded old town.jpg|log=2012 January 22}}]] --><!--[[Image:Samawa football team.jpg|right|thumb|223px|Samawah's local football team in the home stadium]]-->

The most famous attraction of Samawah is the ruins of the ancient [[Sumer]]ian city of [[Uruk]] which dates to [[5th millennium BC|4000 BC]]. This was the largest city in Sumer, extending over 2&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>. Uruk was not only the largest conurbation of the first urban civilisation on earth, but it is also the place where the first written script was discovered, the oldest dating back to [[4th millennium BC|3300 BC]].
[[Image:Riverside walk samawa.JPG|right|thumb|223px|The palm groves of Samawah]]
Samawah is built on both sides of the [[Euphrates]] and is surrounded by hundreds of palm groves that give it a tropical feel, especially in the southern and northern suburbs. These groves provide cool respite from the scorching heat of Mesopotamia and were the inspiration for the famous Iraqi folk song "The Palm of Samawah".
<!--[[Image:Samawa riverside.JPG|right|thumb|223px|Riverside walk on the west bank]]-->

Samawah has a large [[salt lake]] called [[Sawa lake|Sawa Lake]], which once had a tourist village that has since fallen into disrepair. The lake is located 25&nbsp;km (15&nbsp;mi) to the north of the city centre and is accessible by road. The lake has no obvious source, neither river nor ancient link to a sea. The water is extremely salty due to heavy evaporation in the searing heat of Mesopotamia and supports no marine life. A unique feature of the lake is that the water is above ground level surrounded by natural [[levee]]s. Due to the high levels of salt in the lake, the levees heal themselves if a break is made in the levee, stopping the water from flowing down to ground level. The salt levels also improve buoyancy, and many migratory birds walk on the lake.

=== Modern history ===
The eastern side of the city including "Qushla" has a more modern feel and contains a number of estates of apartment blocks built during the 1970s and 1980s, [[As Samawah Stadium]], which is home to the local Muthanna football team [[Samawa FC]], as well as technical colleges and the polytechnic. There too is ''Al Qushla'', the historic "Ottoman Barracks".[[Image:Nigret al salman.JPG|left|thumb|223px|The notorious desert prison ''[[Nugra Salman Prison|Nigret al Salman]]'']][[Image:Samawa2.jpg|thumb|Overhead view of the river.]]
Al Muthanna province contains one of the most notorious prisons in Iraq, which has been used since the time of the monarchy (1921–1958). ''[[Nugra Salman|Nigret Al Salman]]'', located in the small town of Al-Salman 200&nbsp;km (124&nbsp;mi) south of Samawah, is a desert prison camp built in the style of a fortress where thousands have perished over the decades. It was used to house the prisoners surviving the [[Dujail Massacre]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=2005-10-19 |title=Das Massaker von Dudschail |language=de-DE |work=Der Tagesspiegel Online |url=https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/hintergrund-das-massaker-von-dudschail/652118.html |access-date=2022-08-28 |issn=1865-2263}}</ref>  During the [[Anfal campaign]] directed at Kurds, older men and women were sent to the prison as well.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hilterman |first=Joost |date=2016-01-19 |title=The 1988 Anfal Campaign in Iraqi Kurdistan {{!}} Sciences Po Mass Violence and Resistance - Research Network |url=https://www.sciencespo.fr/mass-violence-war-massacre-resistance/en/document/1988-anfal-campaign-iraqi-kurdistan.html |access-date=2022-08-28 |website=www.sciencespo.fr |language=en}}</ref>

[[Image:Saray samawa.jpg|left|thumb|223px|The ''Saray'']]
The ''Saray'' on the east bank of Samawah is the historical seat of authority and authoritarianism in Samawah. It dates from the period of the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] rule. It has been the focus of revolts and popular uprisings by the local population for the past century, most recently in 1991 when hundreds of prisoners, including women and children, as well as [[Kuwait]]i hostages kidnapped by the Iraqi occupation forces in 1990, were freed from their captors by the people of Samawah. 
[[File:Central hospital in Samawa.jpg|right|thumb|223px|Samawah General Hospital]] 
Samawah's medical facilities have improved greatly since 2003. The renovation of the central hospital with the aid of [[Japan]]ese development funds has resulted in an improvement in medical provision for the residents of the province. New facilities, such as an [[Magnetic resonance imaging|MRI scanner]], have been added to the existing medical units.
[[Image:samawa wallpainting.JPG|left|thumb|223px|Wall paintings brighten up the city's drab concrete.]]
The residents of Samawah have used some simple and low-cost means to brighten up the appearance of the grey concrete walls surrounding official buildings and schion was started in the early 1970s, but was cut off during the period of [[Saddam Hussein]]'s rule (1979–2003). The wall paintings put up since 2003 depict the new life achieved since the liberation.

=== Post-Saddam era ===
[[Image:Handover ceremony.jpg|left|thumb|223px|Handover ceremony for Al Muthanna province in July 2006 at the football stadium]]
Since the [[2003 Invasion of Iraq]], the town has had the fewest problems with Coalition forces, with insurgent activity practically non-existent.{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}
 
Elements of the [[U.S. 82nd Airborne Division]] and 1–41 Infantry, 1st Armored Division, took the town in the [[Battle of Samawah (2003)|Battle of Samawah]], a fierce running battle with emplaced [[Fedayeen Saddam|Baathist forces]] in the days after the initial invasion. After the initial combat phase ended in May 2003, the 82nd was relieved by U.S. Marines from [[5th Marine (United States) Regiment|RCT-5]], [[1st Marine Division (United States)|1st Marine Division]]. Control of the city was handed over to [[Royal Netherlands Army|Dutch forces]] in August 2003, <!-- Dutch left at some point --> to the British Army ([[1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards]]) in October 2004 who in turn handed over to ([[The Light Dragoons]]) again British Army Cavalry Regiment in April 2005 and in October 2005 the [[2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment]] took over. All units took part in peacekeeping operations involving foot and vehicular patrols [[winning hearts and minds]] also they helped in training local police in crowd control and riot training, also fire arms training.

[[Deployment of Japanese troops to Iraq|Japan Self-Defense Forces]], stationed in Samawah since January 2004, left in 2006.<ref name="mil">[http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jun2006/20060622_5488.html DefenseLink News Article: Coalition Troops to Leave Muthanna Province in Iraq<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>  British and Australian troops departed, making Samawah's entire province the first to be responsible for its own security, dubbed in Iraqi parlance the first "green province", meaning that it is fully independent.<ref name="mil" />

On December 24, 2006, political violence between Shiite militias hit Samawah,<ref>[http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iraq25dec25,0,7711681.story?coll=la-home-headlines 2 dead in Baghdad minibus bombing – Los Angeles Times<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> killing 9 people, among them 4 policemen. Reportedly, local members of the [[Mahdi Army]] tried to seize the city in a failed attempt and clashed with the police, who were aided by the [[Badr Organization]]. Internal fighting and division among the local tribes was reported. Associates of Mahdi leader [[Muqtada al-Sadr]] said he was distancing himself from the Samawah militia, led by "a renegade cleric".

On May 1, 2016, a government office and bus station in the city of Samawah were attacked in a double car bombing claimed by the [[Islamic State]]. The attack killed at least 32 people and wounded another 85.<ref>{{cite web |date=1 May 2016 |title=Isis claims responsibility after two blasts kill at least 32 people in Iraqi city of Samawa |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iraq-car-bombings-isis-claims-responsibility-after-two-blasts-latest-info-in-city-of-samawa-a7008811.html |access-date=1 May 2016 |website=The Independent |language=en-GB}}</ref>

== Geography ==

=== Climate ===
Samawah has a [[Desert climate#Hot desert climates|hot desert climate]] (''BWh'') in the [[Köppen–Geiger climate classification system]]. Most rain falls in the winter. The average annual temperature in Samawah is {{convert|23.8|°C|1}}. About {{convert|106|mm|2|abbr=on}} of precipitation falls annually.

{{Weather box
|width = auto
|location = Samawah
|metric first = Y
|single line = Y

|Jan high C = 15.1									
|Feb high C = 18.6
|Mar high C = 24.6
|Apr high C = 31.0
|May high C = 37.8
|Jun high C = 41.7
|Jul high C = 43.4
|Aug high C = 43.7
|Sep high C = 41.4
|Oct high C = 34.6
|Nov high C = 25.6
|Dec high C = 18.3

|Jan low C =  5.0				 				
|Feb low C =  7.3
|Mar low C =  11.2
|Apr low C =  16.1
|May low C = 21.7
|Jun low C = 24.8
|Jul low C = 26.0
|Aug low C = 25.5
|Sep low C = 22.9
|Oct low C = 17.1
|Nov low C =  10.9
|Dec low C =  6.9

|Jan precipitation mm = 18									
|Feb precipitation mm = 18
|Mar precipitation mm = 9
|Apr precipitation mm = 10
|May precipitation mm = 5
|Jun precipitation mm = 0
|Jul precipitation mm = 0
|Aug precipitation mm = 0
|Sep precipitation mm = 0
|Oct precipitation mm = 3
|Nov precipitation mm = 19
|Dec precipitation mm = 24
|year precipitation mm= 106

|source = {{url|climate-data.org}}
|date=17 January 2018}}

==Religion==
{{Unreferenced section|date=January 2023}}
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:latmiya1.jpg|right|thumb|223px|Shia religious procession]] -->
Primarily [[Shi'a Islam|Shiite]], the town was cut off almost entirely by [[Saddam Hussein]] during the [[1991 Iraqi uprisings]] after the [[Gulf War]]. The terrorisation of the Jewish minority by Arab nationalists in the 1940s and '50s drove most of them into exile. The [[Torat Synagogue]], which has been abandoned since the flight of the Jews, still exists in the ''qushla'' quarter of the east bank of Samawah. 
In 1979–81 an [[ethnic cleansing]] campaign saw Shia Iraqis deemed to be of [[Persian people|Persian]] origin deported by the [[Baathist]] regime of [[Saddam Hussein]].

Today, there is still a small population of [[Sunni]]s in the city.

==Economy==
The unemployment rate is high.
The city, in spite of the lack of high-value natural resources such as oil and gas and a lack of central government investment, has managed to maintain lively small-scale industrial, agricultural and alternative sectors.
[[Image:Cement factory samawa.JPG|right|thumb|223px|The southern cement factory in central Samawah]]
Samawah had the largest [[cement]] factories in the Middle East during the 1970s,{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}} with a total production capacity of 2.85 million tonnes a year. These have since fallen into disrepair, exacerbating the unemployment situation, although the southern cement factory, the oldest, reopened in 2005. As of 2007, the four existing plants are producing a total of just 0.8 million tonnes a year due to the shortage of electricity. Five new cement factories with a capacity of 9 million tonnes a year are under construction on the outskirts of Samawah and will provide employment for several thousand skilled and unskilled workers as well as filling 45% of Iraq's total cement needs.

A small [[oil refinery]] was reopened in Samawah in 2005 after being idle for 15 years. The existing 10,000 [[bbl/d]] facility's capacity was doubled to {{convert|20000|oilbbl/d|m3/d|abbr=on}} in 2006 and was to have increased to {{convert|30000|oilbbl/d|m3/d|abbr=on}} by 2007. The facility is linked by pipeline to the new Kifl oil field in Samawah province that has an initial capacity of {{convert|40000|oilbbl/d|m3/d|abbr=on}}. The major advantage of the refinery is that it is designed for processing heavy crude oil, allowing the light crude to be exported.
[[Image:Rolling stock overhaul.jpg|left|thumb|223px|Railway overhaul facility]]
The historical route between Mesopotamia and [[Saudi Arabia]] ran through Samawah, and it has been a main trading thoroughfare for Iraqi produce to Saudi Arabia.

<!--[[Image:Railway station samawa.jpg|left|thumb|223px|Samawah railway station]]-->
Samawah is home to a rail yard for overhauling and maintaining the rolling stock and locomotives along the Baghdad-Basra rail routes. Samawah railway station is conveniently located halfway between Baghdad and Basra. Overhaul facilities for the railways are an important source of employment opportunities in this Mesopotamian city. 
There was an overhaul facility for the Iraqi Armoured corps based in Samawah belonging to the military Industrial Commission.

In terms of agriculture, the staple Mesopotamian produce is grown in Samawah, such as dates, wheat, barley, citrus fruits, and tomatoes. In addition, Samawah is home to the small and rare trade in wild truffles, which grow in the desert regions of Muthanna province.

The ''[[Bahr al Milh]]'', or Salt Sea, located 20&nbsp;km (12&nbsp;mi) to the southwest of Samawah, is the main source of industrial salts in Iraq, and large salt mining and processing facilities are located there to exploit this resource. 
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Saltprocessingsmall.jpg|right|thumb|223px|Salt processing facilities on the Salt Sea outside Samawah{{Pufc|1=Saltprocessingsmall.jpg|log=2012 January 22}}]] -->
A thriving industry in traditional sun-baked [[brick]] manufacture exists on the outskirts of Samawah using primarily female labourers for forming and drying bricks. Large temporary [[kiln]]s with chimney stacks as high as 30&nbsp;m (98&nbsp;ft) are constructed by villagers in the surrounding region to make baked bricks with the same methods used during the Sumerian and [[Akkadian Empire|Akkadian]] periods.

Samawah has its own media industry, with the recently reopened Muthanna TV broadcasting terrestrial transmission to Samawah and the province. It focuses primarily on local news and issues. The station gained notoriety as the "Robin Hood of Television" when it broadcast the 2006 World Cup games without licence using a single subscription to a pay-per-view satellite channel. The central government were unable to enforce a ruling against the TV station to stop the transmissions.

There is a small cottage industry of [[carpet]] makers in the city, primarily employing women. The advantages for the local carpet makers are the availability of cheap raw materials, wool from the desert [[Bedu]] who use Samawah as their main trading post, and the availability of cheap labour in this poor city.

==Reaching Samawah==
[[Image:Railway station samawa.jpg|right|thumb|223px|Samawah railway station]]
Samawah is served by a highway for road traffic from Baghdad and Basra. The railway station has passenger services from both Baghdad and Basra and is the cheapest form of transport. The railway station is located approximately 4 kilometers (2.5&nbsp;mi) to the west of central Samawah.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

Samawah is also accessible via the Euphrates River.

==Samawah artists and personalities==
{{Unreferenced section|date=January 2023}}
A number of prominent artists originate from Samawah, including poets, painters and sculptors. An indepth overview of both historical and current artists can be found in [[samawah artists]].

Due to the preponderance of both communists as well as Shia thinkers like (Sheikh Mahdi Al-Samawi) was among the personalities and artists of Samawah, most of them ended up either being killed by the Baathists regime or lived in exile for much of their lives.

==See also==
{{commons category|Samawah}}
* [[Japanese Iraq Reconstruction and Support Group]]
* [[List of places in Iraq]]
*[[Iraqi conflict (2003–present)]]

==References==
<references />

==External links==
* [http://www.iraqimage.com/pages/browse/As_Samawah.html Iraq Image – Samawah Satellite Observation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120623063822/http://www.iraqimage.com/pages/browse/As_Samawah.html |date=2012-06-23 }}

{{coord|31|19|N|45|17|E|region:IQ_type:city_source:enwiki-GNS|display=title}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Districts of Iraq}}

[[Category:Samawah| ]]
[[Category:Populated places in Muthanna Governorate]]
[[Category:Populated places on the Euphrates River]]
[[Category:District capitals of Iraq]]
[[Category:Cities in Iraq]]