Dhi Qar Governorate, Governorate in southern region, Iraq.
Dhi Qar is a governorate in southern Iraq bordered by Wassit, Missan, Basrah, Muthanna, and Qadissiya. The territory contains multiple districts including Nasiriyah as the capital, alongside Chibayish, Shatra, Suq al-Shoyukh, and Rifai, which serve as local administrative centers.
The region was renamed from Muntafiq Governorate to Dhi Qar in 1976. It contains the ruins of some of humanity's oldest cities, including Ur, Eridu, Lagash, and Larsa, which shaped early Sumerian civilization.
Shia Arabs shape daily life and traditions across the region, while Marsh Arabs maintain their own customs in the southern wetland areas. Their distinct way of living remains visible in how communities organize settlements and use the landscape.
Start your visit in Nasiriya and organize travel from there to reach different districts and archaeological zones. The Mesopotamian Marshes in the south require local guidance and adapted transportation to explore safely and effectively.
The governorate holds both remnants of one of the world's earliest civilizations and extensive Mesopotamian wetland ecosystems within the same territory. This combination allows visitors to encounter both ancient archaeological sites and traditional communities whose ways have remained largely unchanged for generations.
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