Tikrit

Tikrit stands on the western bank of the Tigris north of Baghdad. In late antiquity it was a significant Syriac Christian centre, with churches and monasteries, and Christian communities remained prominent in the early Islamic centuries. The city was also the birthplace of Saladin, whose family later rose to power in the wider Middle East.

In 1393 Timur captured and devastated Tikrit. Under Ottoman rule it remained a relatively small settlement, a diminished successor to the earlier city. Its river position continued to place it on the route between the northern Tigris country and Baghdad.