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Baʿqūbah
town, Iraq
Baʿqūbah, city, capital of Diyālā muḥāfaẓah (governorate), east-central Iraq. Located on the Diyālā River and on a road and a rail line between Baghdad and Iran, it is a regional trade centre for agricultural produce and livestock. The name comes from the Aramaic Bāya ʿqūbā, meaning “Jacob’s house.” The city is located on the site of a settlement dating back to pre-Islamic times. Under the ʿAbbāsid caliphate, it was a prosperous town known for its date and fruit orchards, and the surrounding country was fertile and populous with many villages. It was an important stop on the Baghdad-Khorāsān road, part of the silk and spice route. Many Assyrian Christian refugees fled there during World War I. Pop. (2003 est.) 160,000.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.
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