Az Zubayr (Arabic,الزبير )is a sunni town in Basra province in Iraq. Some sources say it has a population of 184,900, others say 460,000 The coordinates are 30° 23' 21N, 47° 42' 29E.

The name is also sometimes written Az Zubair, Zubair, El Zubair, or Zobier.

History of Zubair

Early history

The city was named al-Zuabir due to the fact that one of the most prominent Sahaba, Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, is buried there.

Recent history

In the 19th century the city of Zubair witnessed a relatively large migration from Najd, due to many reasons that have to do with the situation in Najd. Up until the 1970s and 1980s it was very dominantly populated by people with Najdi origins. Nowadays, though, only a few houses remain of the old inhabitants. Most of the old inhabitants moved back to their homeland Najd and other parts in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Some also moved to Kuwait.

In the period when Najdis inhabited the city it was dominated by the Sunni denomination of Islam. After they left the city this fact has probably changed.

In that period the city was a self-ruling emirate within the Ottoman Empire ruled by an Emir (or Sheikh).

References