Maysan is one of Iraq governorates, in the east of country bordering
Iran, its capital Amarah located on the Tigris, the second largest city
is Majar Al-Kabir, and before the year 1976 it was known as Amarah
governorate. However, it is believed that the designation in origin was
"kingdom of Mishan" then changed to Maysan.
Maysan in ancient history:
Most sources indicate that (Maysan) is a mini-state originated in the
south of Babylon land under the protection of Seleucids (311 BC –247
BC), and when their power declined in the period between (223 BC–187
BC), Maysan became independent then had ascended gradually on power
scale and became an important mini–state.
It was ruled by 23 kings for about 3.5 centuries, specifically between
129 BC –225 AD… and that she played a prominent role in Iraq's political
and economic events during the period from the mid of second century BC
to the first quarter of third century AD.
Maysan in Aramaic language means (swamps water)(stagnant water), also,
Mayan hosts the tomb of (Uzayr prophet) who is sacred to both Jews and
Muslims, and the tomb of Sharif Abeidallah bin Ali bin Abi Talib (pbuh),
in the area of Saleh Castle in specific, and the tomb of the poet
Alkumait bin Zaid Al-Asdi and thus was named Kumait district relative to
him. It was conquered in the reign of the second Caliph Omer bin Al
Khattab (may God be pleased with him) at the hand of the Arab commandant
(Utba bin Ghazwan Al-Mazni). Then its borders were stretching between
Wasit (Kut) and Basra, and Basra was part of it, as well as Almathar and
Albatae' (Ahwar), and was reported in its history that it was a large
city with many villages and palm trees and set as an example in its
fertility.
As for Amarah, if it was Amarah–with dammah above the letter (ع) then
it refers to (Amarah bin Al Hamza) who was appointed by the Abbasid
Caliph Abu Jaafer Al Mansour (136 AH –158 AH) to Tigris Kur which
includes Maysan, Destimyan and Aberqabath and to which Basra province
and its satellites were subsequently attached; however, Tigris Kur
boundaries end at Wasit borders opposite to Kskr. And if it was Amarah
–with fathah above the letter (ع) it means then tribal assemblage thus
Amrah and Amarah, and if it was Amarah – with kasrah below the letter
(ع) then it means a new name to a new building to which the definite
article is added to fix and define the meaning.
Furthermore, Amarah was quoted in two writers' works before about four
centuries. Wherein Amarah name, Amarah River and Cote Amarah were
mentioned in several old writings not less than fifteen works between
manuscript and printed material in Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Italian,
French, and English languages
Additionally, Amarah name was cited in travels. The earliest traveler
who visited it was Sabastiani in 1656 AD, in his voyage he talks about
Amarah, Mansouriyya, Majar, and Qasr and probably were populated islands
wherein the Tigris fades, in the second voyage he talks about Amarah as
a village three days away from Baghdad and in which the Janissaries
hosted him at the Customs House this happened in 1658 AD. Finally,
Amarah is the working of Ottoman governor Mohammad Namiq Pasha (1278
AH–1284 AH) (1861 AD–1867 AD), who established a camp on the Tigris
river known as (Awrdi) means legion, then it was expanded thereafter to
become a big city named (Amarah), in which the lieutenant governor
(Hussein Bey) took over the command of the legion succeeded by (Mohammad
Pasha Aldeyar Bakerly) who established a market in the city named it "
Pasha"… he also built some lodgings enough to house the soldiers so in
the wake of this development activity many people from different places
were attracted, then buildings were erected which he named Amarah
relative to the development and buildings set up there, the situation
remained under military rule for one full year, namely, 1278 AH, 1861
AD. At the end of that year Shahanian order was issued from Istanbul
rendering Amarah a district center affiliated to Basra province, and the
Ministry of Interior in Istanbul appointed (Abdulqader Alkolmandi) in
the post of Basra province tribal clerk, deputy governor of Amarah who
founded (Qaderiyya) sector, the great mosque and the lighthouse therein.
The Baghdadi poet Abdulghaffar Al-Akhras has chronicled the history of
Amarah by saying: ((you built it so it became Amarah/as you wished it to
be/so tell who ask about her history/ it was built in the days of
Abdulqader). He means the Turkish administrator who was appointed to it
in 1861.
However, Sanjak of Amarah is located on the eastern shore of the Tigris
river, a place of serenity, and in the city the government house
(palace) is located, a military barrack, a telegraph office, customs
center, river administration, adulthood school, a hundred and fifty
shops, a primary school, three bathrooms, and a thousand house, except
for the reed houses, with a population number between 8 - 9 thousands
people, and comprises Sunni management, which is a government department
that oversees the property of the Sultan. It is estimated that coming
back from Basra to Amarah by way of river takes (24 hrs), and going
there (12 hrs) due to flowing of water. Among its satellite
administrative districts: (1) Shatra (Saleh fortress); (2) Zubair
(Kahlaa); (3) Dwaireej (Tayyeb & Halfaya).
Sub-districts and towns
Among its sub-districts: Ali-al-Gharbi, Ali-al-Sharqi, Majar-al-Kabir,
Majar-al-Saghir, and Kumait. However, Amarah owes in its development to
its excellent location where it appears to viewer from the deck such a
beautiful town thanks to its corniche along which extend in a single
line two-story houses built of bricks divided into separate sectors by
several broad straight streets. This beautiful front seems as if it was a
décor hiding behind it the real Amarah with its mud buildings, reed
cottages groves and plowed fields.
Amarah, however, consists of the following sectors:
(1) Qaderiyya (al-Jadidah), it is the first sector built in Amarah
in which there was an ancient lighthouse constructed by Abdulqader
Alkolmandi, who became its administrative officer in the period (from
1861 AD to 1866 AD), the vast majority of population were of Jews and
their homes which are characterized by an almost unique architecture are
still standing in witness there.
(2) Sarya: the sector which was built by Serey Pasha, the
administrative officer of Amarah in the Ottoman era (1871 – 1874 AD)
(3) Saray: it was named as such because it was near the government
palace, detachment and Saray: the two sectors are merged together in the
north onto corniche of the Tigris extension before its being branched
into Kahlaa and Mashrah, in Saray there are two regions, one is Swaryah,
a place where the horses of the Gendarmerie (Ottoman police) park, and
the other Salmeyya, the region close to the house of governor today, it
was named Salmeyya relative to Hajj Salem Mahmoud Hajj Mahdi Alrefaei,
it had been named so till the late forties.
(4) Mahmudiyya: named after the Amarah merchant Mahmoud Hajj Taha as it happened to fall within his grove domains
(5) Sabonjeyah: named so for the presence of a soap production
factory there, however, both sectors (Mahmudiyya and Sabonjeyah) are
merged together, with Sabonjeyah is nearer to the market
(6) Shabana: the sector which is located on the right side of the
Tigris River, however, Shabana is the place of Turkish military whose
borders used to extend from the opposite grove to the governor house
today to al-Masikh River (an extinct river whose remains were located
near the public clinic nowadays in the health center, Cairo neighborhood
(Alban))
(7) Dbeisat: located to the northeast of Amarah across the rivers of
Mashrah and Kahlaa, it was once al-Majdeyya sector, which was created
in 1939, at the time of the administration officer Majid Mustafa
(5/10/1938 – 1/5/1941 AD), located within the old Dbeisat sector, as for
Bustan Awasha and Bustan Aljeddeh, groves were on the southern end with
no more than seven similar houses, the palaces of the city's wealthy
people named (Seven Palaces)
Census of 1920 AD
The census conducted by the authorities before April, 1920 AD stated
that he total population of Amarah province (Maysan governorate now) was
300,000 people.
Modern history
The majority is Shiite Muslims. The people there suffered a lot during
the Iran-Iraq war, as it was a major battlefield of military operations,
and in the subsequent period the site of 1991 revolution. The
governorate, however, and throughout history was home to the Arabs of
Marshes.
Events:
In 2003 it was controlled by the British armed forces after the
invasion of Iraq, and now an elected governorate council is formed.
However, Majar-al-Kabir town was the site of killing six British Royal
Military Police in 2003, Amarah city became a famous city in the British
press after the city-street fighting events in 2004.
It was proposed to annex Maysan to the neighboring provinces of Basra
and Dhi Qaar to form the southern state of the Iraqi federalism.
Source: http://www.v90v.com/forums/t28265.htm
