Amara War Cemetery, Military cemetery in Amarah, Iraq

Amara War Cemetery is a military burial ground in Amarah, Iraq, containing thousands of graves from World War I. Stone markers and memorial walls display the names of fallen soldiers and their regiments throughout the site.

The cemetery was established in 1917 as a burial ground for Commonwealth forces during the Mesopotamian campaigns of World War I. These military operations were among the major battles fought in the Middle East during that period.

The cemetery holds the remains of soldiers from Britain, India, and other Commonwealth nations who fought together in the region. Walking through, you encounter names and regimental badges representing military personnel from different parts of the world.

The cemetery lies just south of a branch of the Tigris where it splits at Amarah, beside the Amara (Left Bank) Indian War Cemetery. The CWGC left Iraq in 1990 and has not returned to manage the site, so paths and structures are uneven; the caretaker Hasan Ahtif Mousa and his family have kept the memorial wall panels in place since their 2022 renovation.

Three Victoria Cross recipients are buried here, including Sidney William Ware, Edgar Christopher Cookson, and Edward Elers Delaval Henderson. This decoration was the highest military honor in the British Commonwealth for acts of exceptional bravery.