Al-Shamiya is a city in
Al-Shamiya District,
Al-Qadisiyyah Governorate,
Iraq. It is roughly 147 km south of
Baghdad on the Al-Shamiya branch of the
Euphrates. Settlement dates back to
Sumerian times, but the modern city was established in 1822 during the
Ottoman era, named "Hamidya" after
Abdul Hamid II. It was renamed Al-Shamiya (meaning
Levantine) after the establishment of the
Kingdom of Iraq. The city's population has grown quickly, from 189,000 in 1997 to 230,974 in 2007 to an estimated 300,000 in 2014. The population has been homogeneously
Shia for centuries, and many descend from the
Arab tribe of
Nukha. It is located in the fertile, irrigated, drained, and alluvial plain of the middle Euphrates region. The area surrounding the city is notable for its crops, especially rice, dates, and wheat.