Wadi al-Abyad or al-Ubayyid (Arabic: وادي الأبيض, "white wadi") is the second-longest

wadi Wadi ( ar, وَادِي, wādī), alternatively ''wād'' ( ar, وَاد), North African Arabic Oued, is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some instances, it may refer to a wet (ephemeral) riverbed that contains water ...

in Iraq (after

Wadi Hauran Wadi Hauran (also Wadi Houran, Wādī Ḩawrān ar, وادي حوران) is the longest Wadi in Iraq. Located in Al Anbar Governorate west of Iraq, at Latitude33.0333°, Longitude40.2500�Wādī Ḩawrānis roughly midway between Damascus and B ...

) and extends in west of Iraq within Al Anbar Governorate and

Karbala Governorate Karbala Governorate ( ar, كربلاء ''Karbalāʾ'') is a governorate in central Iraq. Its administrative center is the city of Karbala, a holy city for Shia Muslims for housing the shrine of the revered Imam Hussein. The population is majority ...

. It runs for roughly , from Iraqi-Saudi border (near Arar) in Al Anbar Governorate till Lake Razazah in west of

. It is wide, deep. Often the term of Wadi al-Abyad referred to a large area including Wadi al-Abyad itself, its tributaries, and surroundings. Wadi al-Abyad is a dry place in spite of oasis called Ghadir Abu Muraji located in central part of the valley within Al Anbar Governorate in addition to some seasonal pools spread in the Wadi during rainy season. Pools and grass provide good grasslands for nomads and their livestock. In some rainy years, Wadi al-Abyad is filled with rainwater which flows into the Lake Razazah.

Climate

Hot desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

is dominant in Wadi al-Abyad, temperatures vary between below freezing on some winter nights and over 40 degrees in July and early August, beside a large variation between day's temperatures and night. Rain season is from October till June,

precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. ...

not more than 87 mm per year, this amount of rain is lowest rainfall amount in Iraq. Overall, winds eastern or western direction, in summer season southern hot sand storms blow from Najd desert.

Flora and fauna

Arid climate has impact on the flora and fauna in the wadi. No plants grow there except desert vegetation especially ''

Alhagi ''Alhagi'' is a genus of Old World plants in the family Fabaceae. They are commonly called camelthorns or manna trees. There are three to five species. ''Alhagi'' species have proportionally the deepest root system of any plants - a 1 m h ...

'', ''

Tamarix The genus ''Tamarix'' (tamarisk, salt cedar, taray) is composed of about 50–60 species of flowering plants in the family Tamaricaceae, native to drier areas of Eurasia and Africa. The generic name originated in Latin and may refer to the Tam ...

'', and ''

Artemisia Artemisia may refer to: People * Artemisia I of Caria (fl. 480 BC), queen of Halicarnassus under the First Persian Empire, naval commander during the second Persian invasion of Greece * Artemisia II of Caria (died 350 BC), queen of Caria under th ...

''. Also, animals have adapted to the life of the desert. The most important mammals that live in Wadi al-Abyad are the hare,

Rüppell's fox Rüppell's fox (''Vulpes rueppellii''), also called Rüppell's sand fox, is a fox species living in desert and semi-desert regions of North Africa, the Middle East, and southwestern Asia. It has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List ...

, gray wolf, goitered gazelle, besides many species of the resident birds and immigrant such as

bustard Bustards, including floricans and korhaans, are large, terrestrial birds living mainly in dry grassland areas and on the steppes of the Old World. They range in length from . They make up the family Otididae (, formerly known as Otidae). Bustar ...

sandgrouse Sandgrouse is the common name for Pteroclidae , a family of sixteen species of bird, members of the order Pterocliformes . They are traditionally placed in two genera. The two central Asian species are classified as '' Syrrhaptes'' and the othe ...

in addition to

pigeon Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...

s .

Al-Abyad barrage

Wadi al-Abyad Barrage was built in 2002 at the lowest point in Wadi al-Abyad near Iraqi-Saudi border within Al Anbar Governorate to save rainwater during winter and spring to a long summer season. Saved water is used for bedouins and their cattle. A barrage's capacity is 25–50 million mc. A pipe is laid under the barrage to dispose of surplus water. Barrage's dimensions are 8 km long,2 km wide, and 18 m high.

Nukhayb

Nukhayb ( ar, النخيب) An Iraqi town located in

Al Anbar Al Anbar Governorate ( ar, محافظة الأنبار; ''muḥāfaẓat al-’Anbār''), or Anbar Province, is the largest governorate in Iraq by area. Encompassing much of the country's western territory, it shares borders with Syria, Jordan, ...

at Wadi al-Abyad. The population are

Arabs The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

and Sunnis most of whom belong to the `Anizzah tribe. The main source of income in Nukhayb is agriculture (depending on wells), sheep grazing and camels, besides small business.

Security situation

Generally Wadi al-Abyad safe and well protected, Iraqi security forces patrolling regularly in Wadi al-Abyad due to its location near holy cities

Karbalaa Karbala or Kerbala ( ar, كَرْبَلَاء, Karbalāʾ , , also ;) is a city in central Iraq, located about southwest of Baghdad, and a few miles east of Lake Milh, also known as Razzaza Lake. Karbala is the capital of Karbala Governor ...

and

Najaf Najaf ( ar, ٱلنَّجَف) or An-Najaf al-Ashraf ( ar, ٱلنَّجَف ٱلْأَشْرَف), also known as Baniqia ( ar, بَانِيقِيَا), is a city in central Iraq about 160 km (100 mi) south of Baghdad. Its estimated popula ...

. Though some attacks have occurred in Wadi al-Abyad, first offensive happened in September 2011, resulted in killing 22 Shia pilgrims en route from Damascus to

were stopped at a fake checkpoint near Nukhayb, then killed by gunmen. In another false checkpoint attack, 14 Iraqi border guards were killed by militants in June 2013. Early July 2014 IS's elements attacked Nukhayb and took control on it after Iraqi security forces fled to

. But Iraqi Security forces and popular mobilization forces have regained Nukhayb in late August 2014.

References

External links

Map of Wadi al-Abyad
{{coord, 33, 58, 52, N, 42, 33, 23, E, region:IQ-AN_type:landmark_source:dewiki, display=title Abyad