Al 'Amarah, also Amara, city in southeastern Iraq, capital of Maysan province. Al 'Amarah straddles the Tigris River 50 km (30 mi) from the border with Iran. The city marks the northernmost tip of a 16,000-sq-km (6000-sq-mi) triangle of marshlands where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers meet. Al 'Amarah's economy is based mostly on farm products, including rice, dates, and sheep. During the 1980s the government built new docks at Al 'Amarah, and the city is home to a Japanese-built hospital. Roads link Al 'Amarah to other major Iraqi cities.
Al 'Amarah was founded in the 1860s as a military outpost of the Ottoman Empire (based in modern-day Turkey). From Al 'Amarah, the Ottomans tried to control long-standing warfare between two local tribes, the Banu Lam and the Al Bu Muhammad. Al 'Amarah became the administrative capital of the Ottoman province of Al 'Amarah (later Maysan). Built with wide, modern streets, the city developed into a large market town and refueling station for steamers on the Tigris. In 1915, during World War I, Britain forced the Ottoman army from Al 'Amarah.
