Tikrit

For the town in Lebanon, see Tikrit (Akkar).
Tikrit
تِكْرِيت
City
Top-bottom, R-L:
Tikrit Palace
University of Tikrit • Mosque
Tigris River
Tikrit is located in Iraq
Tikrit
Tikrit
Location of Tikrit within Iraq
Coordinates: 34°36′36″N 43°40′48″E / 34.61000°N 43.68000°E / 34.61000; 43.68000
Country Iraq
GovernorateSaladin
Government
 • MayorOmar Tariq Ismail
Elevation
[1]
137 m (449 ft)
Population
 (2012)
 • Total
160,000
  • City plan c. 2000
    City plan c. 2000

Tikrit (Arabic: تِكْرِيت, romanized: Tikrīt [ˈtɪkriːt]) is a city in Iraq, located 140 kilometers (87 mi) northwest of Baghdad and 220 kilometers (140 mi) southeast of Mosul on the Tigris River. It is the administrative center of the Saladin Governorate. As of 2012, it had a population of approximately 160,000.[2]

Originally a fort during the Assyrian empire, Tikrit became the birthplace of Muslim military leader Saladin. Saddam Hussein's birthplace was in a modest village (13 km) south of Tikrit, which is called "Al-Awja"; for that, Saddam bore the surname al-Tikriti.[3] The inhabitants of this village were farmers. A few significant people from Saladin Governorate, including some from Tikrit, were appointed to government roles during the time of Ba'athist Iraq until the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.[4] After the invasion, the city has been a site of conflict with the Islamic State, culminating in the Second Battle of Tikrit from March to April 2015, which resulted in the displacement of 28,000 civilians.[5] The Iraqi government regained control of the city from the Islamic State on March 31, 2015, with the city at peace since then.[6]

  1. ^ Philip Gladstone (10 February 2014). "METAR Information for ORSH in Tikrit Al Sahra (Tikrit West), SD, Iraq". Gladstonefamily.net. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  2. ^ "Iraqis – with American help – topple statue of Saddam in Baghdad". Fox News. 9 April 2003.
  3. ^ MacFarquhar, Neil (2003-01-05). "THREATS AND RESPONSES: ALLEGIANCES; In Iraq's Tribes, U.S. Faces a Formidable Wild Card (Published 2003)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-03.
  4. ^ Batatu, Hanna. "Class Analysis and Iraqi Society." Arab Studies Quarterly Volume 1, No.3 (1979). 241.
  5. ^ "Islamic State crisis: Thousands flee Iraqi advance on Tikrit". BBC News. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
  6. ^ "Iraq hails victory over Islamic State extremists in Tikrit - Times Union". www.timesunion.com. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02.