Khanaqin

Khanaqin (Arabic: خانقين; Kurdish: خانەقین, romanized: Xaneqîn) is the central city of Khanaqin District in Diyala Governorate, Iraq, near the Iranian border (8 km) on the Alwand tributary of the Diyala River. The town is populated by Kurds who speak the Southern Kurdish dialect. Khanaqin is situated on the main road which Shia pilgrims use when visiting holy Islamic cities. The city is moreover rich in oil and the first Iraqi oil refinery and oil pipeline was built nearby in 1927. The main tribes of Khanaqin include Kalhor, Feyli, Zand, Malekshahi Suramiri, Arkavazi and Zangana.

Khanaqin
خانەقین
Xaneqîn
City
Alwand River in Khanaqin with the historical Alwand Bridge on top of it
Khanaqin
Khanaqin's location inside Iraq
Coordinates: 34°20′N 45°23′E
Country Iraq
GovernorateDiyala Governorate
DistrictKhanaqin
Elevation
183 m (602 ft)
Population
 (2008)
  Total175,000

The city experienced Arabization during the Saddam era, but this has been substantially reversed after the fall of the regime in 2003 and remains disputed.

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