Qayyarah or Qayara ( ar, القيارة) is an
Iraqi town located in southern
Nineveh Governorate
Nineveh Governorate ( ar, محافظة نينوى, syr, ܗܘܦܪܟܝܐ ܕܢܝܢܘܐ, Hoparkiya d’Ninwe, ckb, پارێزگای نەینەوا, Parêzgeha Neynewa), also known as Ninawa Governorate, is a governorate in northern Iraq. It has an ...
on the west bank of the
Tigris
The Tigris () is the easternmost of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian and Arabian Deserts, and empties into the P ...
river, and about 60 km (35 miles) south of
Mosul. It is located in the
Mosul District, and it is the seat of
Qayyarah subdistrict. It has a population of 15,000. The town is located near the
Qayyarah oil field and has an oil refinery on its south-western outskirts. The
Qayyarah Airfield West is 20 kilometers west of the town.
The town and subdistrict fell to the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ' ...
in June 2014. It was reported that its recapture was of strategic importance for the
offensive to retake Mosul in 2016.
In August 2016, Qayyarah was fully captured by Iraqi forces, with Lieutenant General
Riyadh Jalal Tawfiq stating that they controlled all parts of the city and Prime Minister
Haider al-Abadi
Haider Jawad Kadhim al-Abadi ( ar, حيدر جواد كاظم العبادي; born 25 April 1952) is an Iraqi politician who was Prime Minister of Iraq from September 2014 until October 2018. Previously he served as Minister of Communication fro ...
hailing the capture of the city as a "key step in the fight" against ISIL. In July 2016,
the Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metonym ...
said they were sending another 560 troops to Iraq, mainly to develop the Qayyarah airfield and use it as support for the planned attack on Mosul. Following the town's liberation, members of the
Jubur
Jubur ( ar, جبور, also spelled Jebour, Jibour, Jubour, Jabur, Jaburi, Jebouri, and Jabara) is the largest Arab tribe in Iraq that scattered throughout central Iraq. Part of the tribe settled in Hawija and Kirkuk in the eighteenth century. Al- ...
tribe from Qayyarah and surrounding villages formed the
Popular Mobilization Forces' 39th Regiment (nicknamed "Commandos of al-Jubur" or "Lions of the Tigris") to fight against ISIL. This unit subsequently took part in the
Battle of Mosul (2016–2017)
The Battle of Mosul ( ar, معركة الموصل, ''Ma'rakat al-Mawṣil''; ckb, شەڕی مووسڵ, ''Şeriy Mûsil'') was a major military campaign launched by the Iraqi Government forces with allied militias, the Kurdistan Regional Gove ...
.
The town's name derives from the Arabic word for
tar
Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black b ...
.
Qayyarah has been known for its bitumen springs since at least the middle ages.
Ibn Battuta passed through Qayyarah and described how its bitumen was exported to other towns;
Shihab al-Din al-'Umari also noted that Qayyarah's bitumen springs produced a large revenue for the sultans.
Notable people
*
Farhan Jubouri, Iraqi intelligence officer
*
Najim Abdullah al-Jubouri
Najim Abdullah al-Jubouri is an Iraqi Major General and governor. Al-Jubouri commanded Iraqi Army forces attempting to oust the forces of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant from the Nineveh Governorate during the Battle of Mosul (2016–2017 ...
, Iraqi army officer
References
External links
{{Commons category
Populated places on the Tigris River
Populated places in Nineveh Governorate