Al-Zubayr

Al-Zubayr, town, southeastern Iraq. Located just southeast of Lake al-Ḥammār at the terminus of a railway line to Baghdad, it has long been important in trade with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to the south. Before the founding of Baghdad in 762, Basra, Kufa, and Wasit were the largest and most important towns in Iraq. The town stands on the original 7th-century site of Basra, now located 8 miles (13 km) to the northeast. At Al-Zubayr can still be seen the remains of the mosque dedicated to the memory of Zubayr, one of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad who was killed in the Battle of the Camel (656), fought outside the town walls. Over the centuries the city of Basra moved progressively eastward in its search for water, each time abandoning the western quarters, until the city reached its present site. An oil field has been developed at Al-Zubayr since 1949. Pop. (2004 est.) 180,900.