Al-Faw, port on the Al Faw Peninsula in Iraq
Al-Faw is a port city in southern Iraq where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers meet to form the Shatt al-Arab waterway. The town sits on flat terrain with marshlands, waterways, and palm groves running along the coast, while fishing boats and cargo ships fill the harbor.
Al-Faw has been a strategic point since ancient times, controlled by various powers including the Ottomans, who called it the 'Key to Iraq'. During the Iran-Iraq War, the city saw intense fighting, was captured by Iran in 1986, and recaptured by Iraq in 1988 before being quickly rebuilt.
Al-Faw's identity is rooted in fishing and maritime work, shaping how residents spend their days. You see fishers working their nets, bustling morning markets with fresh catch, and a community whose rhythm follows the tides and seasons.
Al-Faw is connected by road to other parts of Iraq and has a simple grid street layout that makes navigation easy. Local markets are busiest in the early morning, hotels are near the water or main roads, and the hot climate means most people stay indoors during midday hours.
In the 1950s, local residents found bones of a large sea animal, possibly a whale, along the coast. Experts later identified the remains as parts of a humpback whale, a rare discovery that speaks to the region's long maritime history.
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