Yusufiyah (; also transliterated as Yusafiyah, Youssifiyah or Yusifiyah, occasionally prefixed with Al-) is a regional township in the

Baghdad Governorate Baghdad Governorate ( ''Muḥāfaẓat Baġdād''), also known as the Baghdad Province, is the capital governorate of Iraq. It includes the capital Baghdad as well as the surrounding metropolitan area. The governorate is one of two small province ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

Background

Yusufiyah is named after Yūsuf (

Joseph Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...

). It is about south of

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

Almasy, Steve.
Former soldier at center of murder of Iraqi family dies after suicide attempt
"

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

. February 18, 2014. Retrieved on February 19, 2014. and approximately east of

Fallujah Fallujah ( ) is a city in Al Anbar Governorate, Iraq. Situated on the Euphrates, Euphrates River, it is located roughly to the west of the capital city of Baghdad and from the neighboring city of Ramadi. The city is located in the region ...

. It is west of the large city of Mahmudiyah, and northwest of the town of

Latifiyah Latifiya (), named after Latifiya river, is an Iraqi town south of Baghdad, between Mahmoudiyah and Iskandariya, inhabited originally by 97,043 people. It has a mix of Sunni and Shia Muslim population, and surrounded by in the west and the east ...

. Yusufiyah is similar in name to the area known as

Sadr al Yusufiyah The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), also known as the Sahrawi Republic and Western Sahara, is a partially recognized state in the western Maghreb, which claims the non-self-governing territory of Western Sahara, but controls only ...

, which is a larger, more urban area near a

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

n thermal power plant, approximately west-northwest of the town of Yusufiyah. A major canal, known as the

Yusufiyah canal Yusufiyah (; also transliterated as Yusafiyah, Youssifiyah or Yusifiyah, occasionally prefixed with Al-) is a regional township in the Baghdad Governorate of Iraq. Background Yusufiyah is named after Yūsuf (Joseph). It is about south of Baghda ...

, runs from

in the west, through Yusufiyah, and south to Latifiyah. Yusufiyah has a population of 130,176, most living in the city centre. The Yusufiyah area is primarily located on the east side of

Euphrates The Euphrates ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of West Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia (). Originati ...

river, of which the Yusufiyah canal is a branch. This area has two archaeological locations called Aldear and

Abu Haba Abu or ABU may refer to: Aviation * Airman Battle Uniform, a utility uniform of the United States Air Force * IATA airport code for A. A. Bere Tallo Airport in Atambua, Province of East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia People * Abu (Arabic term), a kun ...

. These locations formed part of the defensive borders of Akkad (2000 B.C.) and the ancient name of Yusufiyah is

Sippar Sippar (Sumerian language, Sumerian: , Zimbir) (also Sippir or Sippara) was an ancient Near Eastern Sumerian and later Babylonian city on the east bank of the Euphrates river. Its ''Tell (archaeology), tell'' is located at the site of modern Tell ...

Architecture

The town of Yusufiyah has around one hundred buildings, with less than ten buildings that are over five stories tall. There are at least three mosques within Yusufiyah itself, and at least one in each nearby village. The vast majority of buildings in Yusufiyah are one or two-story brick and cement structures with shops on the first floor and apartments on the second or third floors.

Demographics

The populace in the villages of Yusufiyah are mostly

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

(about 58%), while about 99.9% of those living in the city centre are of one of the three major

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

tribes. The smaller villages nearby include

Mulla Fayad Mulla may refer to: Places *River Awbeg, in Ireland *Mulla, Afghanistan *Mollakənd, Kurdamir, Azerbaijan Other uses * Mullah, a title for an Islamic cleric * Mulla (surname), including a list of people with the name * ''Mulla'' (film), a 20 ...

(approximately southwest of Yusufiyah) and

Rushdi Mullah Rushdi (, ) is a masculine Arabic given name, it may refer to: Given name *Rushdy Abaza (1926-1980), Egyptian actor *Rushdi Said (1920-2013), Egyptian geologist * Rushdi al-Shawa (1889-1965), Palestinian politician * Ruzhdi Kerimov (born 1956), B ...

(approximately west of Yusufiyah). Agriculture is the main form of employment, with some retail and industrial shops within the town itself. Those Sunni and Shia tribes have rooted family connections.

Iraq War

The city was part of a group of cities of

Mahmudiya District Al-Mahmudiya () is a district in Baghdad Governorate, Iraq. Its seat is Mahmoudiyah. Mahmudiya District has approximately 550,000 inhabitants, about over 88 percent of them Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the large ...

including Yusufiyah, Mahmoudiyah,

Iskandariyah Al-Iskandariya or Alexandria () is an ancient city in central Iraq, one of a number of towns in the Near East founded by and named after Alexander the Great (''Al-Iskandar'' in Arabic). It is a majority Shia Arab district including Musayyib an ...

and

that was later referred to as Triangle of Death.

References

{{Commons category, Yusufiyah Populated places in Baghdad Province

Background

Architecture

Demographics

Iraq War

See also

References