Al-Thawrah

district, Baghdad, Iraq

Also known as: Saddam City, Sadr City

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July 16, 2026

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Al-Thawrah, also known as Saddam City between 1982 and 2003, is a large, low-income district located in eastern Baghdad, Iraq. It was established as a planned neighborhood for rural Shi'i migrants who moved to the city, particularly during the 1980s and 1990s. This area is situated beyond the Army Canal, which connects the Tigris and Diyala rivers, marking the eastern edge of Baghdad. The district is home to approximately two million people.1

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Baghdad
Districts
…between 1982 and 2003, as Saddam City.
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…between 1982 and 2003, as Saddam City.
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Muqtada al-Sadr
Patron of Shiʿi populism during the Iraq War
…million Shiʿis, which he renamed Sadr City in honour of his father. By the end of that year Sadr headed a Shiʿi political movement known as the Sadrist Movement and had attracted millions of Shiʿi followers across Iraq, mainly youth and the poor and downtrodden, to whom he offered a…
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…million Shiʿis, which he renamed Sadr City in honour of his father. By the end of that year Sadr headed a Shiʿi political movement known as the Sadrist Movement and had attracted millions of Shiʿi followers across Iraq, mainly youth and the poor and downtrodden, to whom he offered a…
Read More