Wasit

Wasit is a governorate in eastern Iraq, centred on its capital Al-Kut, which sits on the Tigris River roughly 160–180 kilometres southeast of Baghdad. The region is known for its agricultural land, Islamic heritage and position on historic trade routes.

The historic city of Wasit was founded in 702 by the Umayyad governor al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf and became an important early Islamic administrative and scholarly centre. Its ruins south of Al-Kut preserve traces of the old city and its notable gate, while modern Kut developed near the medieval settlement of Madharaya.

The Kut Barrage, completed in the 1930s to regulate Tigris irrigation, is a defining landmark along the city's riverside corniche. Other points of interest include the Shrine of Saeed ibn Jubayr near Al-Hai, the tomb of the poet Al-Mutanabbi in Al-Numaniya and the remains of historic Wasit.

Beyond the capital, districts such as Al-Hai, Al-Suwaira, Al-Aziziya, Al-Numaniya and Badra support an economy based on wheat, barley, dates, poultry, fish and oil. The Ahdab oil field and the Badra border crossing with Iran add to the governorate's commercial significance.

For visitors, Wasit offers religious shrines, historical sites and Tigris riverfront life away from Iraq's larger cities, while its agricultural and energy sectors make it relevant for business and project-related travel.