Al-Faw

This article is about the town in Iraq. For the Iraqi self-propelled howitzer, see Al-Fao.

Al-Fāw (Arabic: ٱلْفَاو; sometimes transliterated as Fao) is a port town on Al-Faw Peninsula in Iraq near the Shatt al-Arab and the Persian Gulf. The Al Faw Peninsula is part of the Basra Governorate.

Al-Faw ٱلْفَاو Fao
The Shatt al-Arab
South-East Iraq with Al-Faw in the lower right corner of the map
Al-Faw Show map of Iraq Al-Faw Show map of Persian Gulf
Coordinates: 29°58′33″N 48°28′20″E
Country	Iraq
Governorate	Al-Basrah
District	Al-Faw District
Population  (2018)[1]
• City	42,252
• Urban	35,836
Time zone	UTC+3 (GMT +3)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+4

History

Landing the Persian Gulf Telegraphic Cable in the mud at Fao, in 1865

The town lies at the south-east end of the Al-Faw Peninsula on the right bank of the Shatt al-Arab, a few kilometres away from the Persian Gulf.

U.S. Marines patrolling the streets of Al-Faw in October 2003

The town, as well as the whole Faw Peninsula, was the scene of armed conflict during World War I, the Iran–Iraq War, the Persian Gulf War, and the Iraq War due to its strategic position at the entrance of the Shatt al-Arab.

The city was extensively damaged during the Iraq-Iran war, but in 1989 it was rebuilt in four months to a completely new city plan.^[2]

See also

• Grand Faw Port
• Al-Faw Palace
• Umm Qasr