Wasit

Wasit
وَاسِط
Gate of Sharabai School in Wasit
Wasit is located in Iraq
Wasit
Shown within Iraq
LocationIraq
RegionWasit Governorate
Coordinates32°11′17″N 46°17′53″E / 32.188°N 46.298°E / 32.188; 46.298
History
CulturesIslamic Caliphate
(Islamic Golden Age)

Wasit (Arabic: وَاسِط, romanizedWāsiṭ, Syriac: ‎ܘܐܣܛ) was an early Islamic city in Iraq. It was founded in the 8th century by the Umayyad viceroy of Iraq, al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, to serve as the region's seat and as the garrison of the Syrian troops who enforced Umayyad rule there. It was situated between the two traditional administrative centers and garrisons of Iraq, Kufa and Basra, hence its name Wasit (lit.'middle'). The city was abandoned centuries later and its ruins are located in the eponymous Wasit Governorate, southeast of Kut in southeastern Iraq.