Adhamiyah

Abu Hanifa Mosque in Adhamiya, Baghdad

Al-Adhamiyah (Arabic: ألأعظمية, al-aʿẓamiyyah; BGN: Al A‘z̧amīyah), also Azamiya, is a neighborhood and east-central district of the city of Baghdad, Iraq.

Adhamiyah is located to the north-west of the city center and is a relatively upscale area with a predominately Sunni Muslim population. It has 300,000 inhabitants. The base of the population of Adhamiya consists of people with a high intellectual background, whether it be politicians, artists, scholars and even sport's figures. The name is a reference to Abū Hanīfah an-Nuʿmān, a renowned scholar and founder of the prominent Sunni Hanafī School of Islamic Religious Jurisprudence. Abu Hanifa Mosque is also a prominent landmark of the area, where Abu Hanifa an-Nu‘man is buried. Adhamiyah is one of nine administrative districts in Baghdad.

The Al Nuaman Hospital is located in Adhamiyah, as is a royal cemetery for Sunnis.^[1]

History

Adhamiyah neighborhood is one of the oldest areas of Baghdad, it backs to the Abbasid period.

Al-Aaimmah Bridge Stampede

Further information: 2005 Baghdad bridge stampede

Although Adhamiyah has been the site of many clashes between Iraqi insurgents and US forces as well as tensions between Shi'a security forces and Sunni residents, in September 2005, the residents of Adhamiyah were credited with saving hundreds of Shi'a lives.

Shi'a pilgrims who were caught in a stampede on al-Aaimmah bridge), coming from the opposing shore of Kadhimiyah, began jumping from the bridge in an attempt to escape the crush, only to face drowning in the Tigris below. Adhamiyah residents dove into the waters, pulling hundreds of Shi'at to the shore, where their fellow residents transported them to hospitals and mosques, in some cases using the mattresses from their own beds as makeshift stretchers.

According to the Interior Ministry, upwards of 900 Shi'a pilgrims died in the stampede, with a like number of wounded.

Adhamiyah wall

On April 10, 2007, Coalition forces began to construct a 3-mile (4.8 km), 12-foot-high (3.7 m) wall around the Adhamiyah neighborhood in an attempt to reduce Sunni-Shi'a violence.^[2] Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki called for a halt to construction on April 22.^[3] but it was finished anyway in May.

During Summer 2007, two Bradley Fighting Vehicles were destroyed by deep buried IED's in the Adhamiyah area. (One was from C Company and one was from A Company, Task Force Spader, 1st Battalion 26th Infantry Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division, US Army. Sniper and IED tactics were commonly used against Coalition forces in the area during this time.

By late Fall 2007, life in Adhamiya had begun to resemble a city again with traffic jams, the reopening of shops, and an abatement of violence. Security efforts of the 3-7 Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division and cooperation of the local populace were credited as factors contributing to this change. However, in January 2008 terrorists killed Col. Riyadh al-Samarrai, a founder of the Sunni Awakening Council, a new American ally, in Adhamiya at the offices of the Sunni Endowment. He was a close aide and security adviser to the leader of the Sunni Endowment, Sheik Ahmed Abdul Ghafour al-Samarrai who held Al Qaeda responsible.

Electricity

Electricity has improved. Six or seven hours a day is the quota, although people still rely heavily on private generators. Americans guarded fuel convoys going through the wall up until June 30, 2009, when they withdrew from the city pursuant to the security agreement with Iraq..

Garbage

Removal has improved. Americans are clearing rubble, and young Iraqis have been hired to pick up trash, but people often burn garbage at the huge trash dumps nearby, which is a nuisance for residents.

Displacement

Shiite families forced out in 2006 post-Samarra fled to surrounding Shiite neighborhoods like Shaab. Sunni families displaced from these Shiite areas moved in. Many long-established Sunni residents went abroad and either locked their homes or arranged for trusted Sunni neighbors to guard them against displaced Sunni newcomers, fearing people who might break into the house and stay the.

References

Citations

1. ^ "Iraqi army "prevents bomb attack at hospital"", Monsters and Critics, May 10, 2007.
2. ^ "Iraqis Decry US "Separation Wall"", U.N. Observer, 4-21-2007.
3. ^ "Al-Maliki demanded a halt to construction of a wall around Sunni neighborhood in Baghdad", International Herald Tribune, 4-22-2007.

Other sources

• Meeting Resistance (2007), a documentary film about resistance fighters in Adhamiyah

External links

• Baghdad wall around Sunni enclave - BBC News, 21 April 2007
• Adhamiya: A Sunni Island Stranded in Shiite East Baghdad