The city was founded in 1872 by Sheikh Nasir Al Sadoon of the Muntafiq tribal confederation, after whom it is named. During World War I the British conquered the city, controlled at the time by the Ottoman Empire, in July 1915. Some 400 British and Indian and up to 2,000 Turkish soldiers were killed in the battle for Nasiriyah on 24 July 1915.
Spice shop in Nasiriyah.
Nasiriyah is where the Iraqi Communist Party was founded around 1932. It was mostly dominated by secular and leftist groups, and the founder of the Iraqi Baath Party, Foud al Rikaby, was from Nasiriyah. During 1932-1963 the city was the center for liberal and progressive thinking.
Some of the leading thinkers who grew up in that area were Aziz al Syed Jasim, Aziz Abdul Sahab, Sadiq Atemish, Mohamed Ali al-Nasiri, along with many poets (e.g., Ayniah al Husewani, Aryan Syed Khalif), singers (e.g., Hazery Abu Aziz, Taleb al Qayraqwli, Hussein Nameh) and artists (Huessien al Halali, Majed al Najar).
Water tower.
During 1940s the city was the chamber for oppositions to monarchy and to the feudal system. Student unions, peasants associations, and workers played an important role in sensitizing people to the nature of corruption and abuses which were committed by the government in Baghdad and its supporters. These associations under the leadership of the Communist Party were instrumental in setting the stage for 14 July Revolution in 1958. Hassan al atybai and Aziz Al Syed Jasim along with many intellectuals led the public celebrations which took place in many part of the governorate immediately after the Revolution.
During the 1991 Gulf War, Nasiriyah marked the furthest point to which coalition forces penetrated Iraq, with the United States 82nd Airborne Division reaching the main road just outside the city. In March 1991, following the American withdrawal at the war's end, the Shia population of Nasiriyah took part in the revolt against the rule of
