Iskandariya

Iskandariya

Al-Iskandariya or Alexandria (Arabic: الإسكندرية, also given as Iskandariyah, Iskanderiyah, Iskanderiya, Iskanderiyeh or Sikandariyeh or Al Askandariyah) is an ancient city in central Iraq, one of a number of towns in the Near East founded by and named after Alexander the Great (Al-Iskandar in Arabic). It is a majority Shia Arab district including Musayyib and Jurf Al Sakhr. The district capital is located about 70 kilometres (45 mi) south of Baghdad, near the Euphrates River. In ancient times Alexandria stood halfway between Babylon (the place of Alexander's death) and Seleucia on the Tigris (the capital of the Seleucid Empire, very near to modern Baghdad). Buildings are mostly constructed with brick, mud, and sheet metal. The nearby city of Musayyib houses the largest power plant in Iraq.[citation needed] The Hateen Munitions Complex located in and around Alexandria housed the majority of the munitions for the former regime. There are also apartments in Iskandariya, called the Hateen Apartments, which received their name from all the workers at the munitions plant living there.