Al-Faw
Al-Fāw is a port town on Al-Faw Peninsula in Iraq near the Shatt al-Arab and the Persian Gulf. The Al Faw Peninsula is part of the Basra Governorate. Al-Faw is located about 100 kilometers from the provincial capital, Basra, and has a population of approximately 52,000 people.
Until 1960, Al-Faw was part of Abu al-Khasib District, before being established as an independent district on August 30, 1960. The city is known for its marine products such as fish, shrimp, and salt, as well as for cultivating henna and date palms, the latter of which declined significantly due to the military and economic conflicts that lasted for 23 years under the rule of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. The people of Al-Faw, like other residents of Basra, speak an Iraqi Arabic dialect similar to that of Kuwait, where the letter jīm is often pronounced as yā, for example, the word rajul is pronounced rayyāl.
The city’s climate is characterized by hot, dry summers and cool, humid winters. Its location at the head of the Gulf gives it significant economic importance in Iraq, both agriculturally and commercially, as it serves as a port for oil exports. Most of the city’s inhabitants depend on fishing for their livelihood.
Etymology
There are various opinions regarding the origin of the name Al-Faw. According to a local narrative passed down by residents, a ship named Al-Faw belonging to the Daylamis came to the area to purchase dates. A strong wind caused the ship to sink in the Nahr al-Lubban, which was formerly known as Nahr al-Muhallabān named after the famous Arab commander Al-Muhallab ibn Abi Ṣufra, and the name gradually changed over time to al-Lubban. People began referring to the area as maḥall gharaq al-Faw. Eventually, the word gharaq was dropped, and the area became known simply as Al-Faw.Another view suggests that the name is derived from the city’s position at the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab, which evolved linguistically into Faw. Some sources, however, argue that the original word was al-Faʾu, meaning “open land visible to the eye” or “land enclosed between two elevations”.
Other sources question these theories, noting that the name Al-Faw only became widespread after the construction of the telegraph station in 1861. According to this explanation, the British referred to the area with the English abbreviation “FEW”, composed of the letters F for Flat, E for Earth, and W for Water. The term FEW, meaning “flat land on the water,” was then adapted to Faw, later written as Fao in English sources.
History
Some sources indicate that the history of Al-Faw dates back to around 2500 BCE. Archaeological findings suggest that the Assyrian king Sennacherib referred to the area as Rību Salāmu, meaning “Gate of Safety.” The Arabs, on the other hand, are said to have called it Māʾ al-Ṣabr. However, these accounts remain a matter of debate, especially considering that the area was likely submerged under the waters of the Arabian Gulf during those ancient times.Ottoman period">Ottoman Iraq">Ottoman period
The Ottoman governor Midhat Pasha described Al-Faw as the “Key to Iraq”, while Salah al-Din al-Ṣabbagh referred to it as the “Land of Safety”. At that time, Al-Faw was part of the al-Maʿāmir lands, which were used as grazing areas known locally as al-dakāk, and were leased by the al-Saʿdūn family in exchange for their loyalty to the Ottoman state.Since the lands of Al-Faw were uncultivated, they were classified under the Ottoman land system as state-owned property. The Ottoman governor of Basra had the authority to grant such lands for investment under the iltizām system. Under this arrangement, the governor granted the lands of al-Maʿāmir to Rāshid al-Saʿdūn, making the southern areas of al-Maʿāmir subject to his concession. When these lands were later transferred from the al-Saʿdūn family to the al-Ṣabāḥ family, they became directly leased by the Ṣabāḥs under Ottoman supervision.
During the second half of the 19th century, British trade in the Arabian Gulf and Iran expanded considerably, increasing Britain’s strategic interests in the region. Because Iraq provided the shortest and safest route between British India and Britain, the British sought to strengthen their influence in Al-Faw, viewing it as a strategic location to protect the Shatt al-Arab from foreign control and to closely monitor Ottoman movements in the area.
The British made significant political and economic efforts to turn Al-Faw into a zone of influence, as its location at the head of a major waterway was crucial for Britain’s imperial trade routes. The Shatt al-Arab represented a key link in the shortest route between Britain and its colonies in India. The British sought to monitor Ottoman activity and prevent any attempt to strengthen Ottoman control over Al-Faw.
In response, the Ottoman Empire attempted to consolidate its presence in Al-Faw by constructing a military fortress, intended to monitor British ships visiting regional ports and to defend Ottoman interests against growing British influence. Britain, however, viewed this as a direct threat to its influence and lodged a formal protest with the Sublime Porte. The British also urged Tsarist Russia, as a mediator of the Treaty of Erzurum, and Iran to object to the construction of fortifications along the Shatt al-Arab. Diplomatic correspondence over the issue continued until the end of the 19th century.
The Ottoman authorities further strengthened their control by establishing a government office and a quarantine station in Al-Faw to monitor incoming ships and collect customs duties. Britain opposed these measures, submitting repeated protests. When diplomatic notes failed to produce results, the British attempted to open a branch consulate in Al-Faw to stay close to Ottoman activities. After the Ottomans rejected the request, Britain stationed a warship off the coast of Al-Faw both to monitor the situation and to signal its power to the Ottoman authorities.
The city was extensively damaged during the Iraq-Iran war, but in 1989 it was rebuilt in four months to a completely new city plan.
British period">Mandatory Iraq">British period
Control over Al-Faw was contested among the Portuguese, Ottomans, and British, the latter of whom occupied the area in 1914. The city became the site of the first battle between Iraqi tribal forces and the British occupation army in 1914, in the Kūt al-Zayn area. The battle was led by Sheikh Shalal ibn Faḍl, the chief of the al-Sharsh tribes, and inflicted heavy losses on the invading forces. Al-Faw was the first point of British landing during their invasion of Iraq in 1914.Republican period">Ba'athist Iraq">Republican period
During the Iran–Iraq War, the Al-Faw Peninsula was a contested battleground between the two countries. It was occupied in February 1986 by Iran and was recaptured by Iraq in April 1988 in a fierce battle that resulted in 170,000 casualties from both sides. United Nations investigations indicate that Iraq used chemical weapons during the battle. The city was completely destroyed and a new city was built within 4 months in 1989. However, most of the residents who had fled the city did not return.At the end of the war, the former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein built a lavish palace located 5 kilometers from Baghdad International Airport, named the Al-Faw Palace in commemoration of its liberation. It was built in the middle of a lake, hence it is also called the Water Palace. After the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the palace was used as a base by U.S. forces, and in 2004 it became the headquarters for the Multi-National Force – Iraq.
During the 2003 invasion itself, Al-Faw Peninsula fell into the hands of the attacking international coalition forces after just a few days, following a lopsided battle that resulted in the deaths of 140 Iraqi soldiers and the capture of approximately 440 others.
Population
The Al-Faw area is inhabited by Arab tribes, including the Rashid, the Dawasir, the Banu Tamim, the Al Nassar, the Shilsh, the Hayyal, and others.At the beginning of the 20th century, the population of Al-Faw was about 1,700. Foreigners constituted the majority of the population until 1913, when the population reached approximately 5,000. The total population reached about 25,715 in 1948 and 75,000 in 1979. The population of the district was about 105,080 in 2005, while the population of the city itself was 18,890 in 2007, according to estimates by the Iraqi Central Statistical Organization. According to 2022 estimates, the population of Al-Faw was 39,714.
| District | Population |
| Al-Karrar | 5,562 |
| Al-Rasool | 4,744 |
| Al-Sadr | 4,456 |
| Al-Salam | 4,139 |
| Al-Hizam Al-Akhdar | 3,978 |
| Al-Hussein | 3,403 |
| Al-Sadiq | 3,351 |
| Al-Zahra | 3,312 |
| Al-Madina | 2,452 |
| Al-Tamimiya | 2,426 |
| Arradi Al-Sabakh | 1,198 |
| Al-Markaz | 693 |
Geography
Topography
The alluvial plain is formed from the immense sediment deposits carried by the Shatt al-Arab into the Arabian Gulf. Its elevation is 12 meters above sea level, compared to 40 meters for Baghdad in the center and 120 meters for Mosul in the north. Over time, these sediments have begun to form new, fertile land suitable for agriculture, causing the area of the Al-Faw Peninsula to continuously increase.Stretching from the Abu Al-Khasib area in the north to Ras Al-Baysha in the south, a green belt of palm groves lines the west of the Shatt al-Arab, its width not exceeding one kilometer. This belt is intersected by waterways of varying widths, connected to the Shatt al-Arab, which are called ahwasat ; these are affected by the tides. Along the western edge of the groves runs the main highway connecting the city to Basra.
The land between this main highway and the strategic road is soft and prone to flooding in winter due to a high water table. The land west of the strategic road, extending towards Khor Al-Zubair, is submerged under shallow waters. The salt flats area consists of basins used for salt sedimentation.
South of the Umm Qasr–Al-Faw road lies Iraq's only maritime outlet: the Khor Abdullah, which connects to the Arabian Gulf.