Az-Zuwayr

Al-Zubayr lies southwest of Basra, near the site of the old Arab garrison city. It takes its name from the revered tomb of al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam and grew as a place of pilgrimage as well as a market at the edge of the desert.

From the later medieval period caravans travelling between Basra and Arabia stopped here for supplies. Bedouin traders exchanged camels and horses for grain, coffee, rice and other goods brought through Basra. In the eighteenth century migration from Najd and expanding long-distance trade strengthened the town's role as a meeting place between the desert and the Gulf. Merchants also carried dates, coffee and sugar deeper into Arabia, while horses from the interior could be sent onward through Basra to India.