Nāṣiriyyah, Al-

Al-Nāṣiriyyah, city, capital of Dhī Qār muḥāfaẓah (governorate), southeastern Iraq. It lies along the Euphrates River in a flat date-growing area. Built largely of sun-dried brick and enclosed by a mud wall, the city is a local market and a rail terminus. Its traditional industries include boatbuilding, carpentry, and silver work. A relatively new city founded about 1870, it was captured by the British from Ottoman forces in 1915 during World War I (1914–18). In the early 21st century it was the scene of heavy fighting during the Iraq War. The ruins of the ancient city of Ur are 11 miles (18 km) to the southwest. Pop. (2003 est.) 400,000.