Why Ar Rutba
Ar Rutba is a town located in the western Al Anbar province of Iraq, positioned on a high plateau. Home to a population of approximately 28,400 people, predominantly Sunni Arabs, it has been noted as the most isolated town of significant size in the country. Geographically, it lies about 70 miles (110 kilometers) from both the border with Jordan and the border with Saudi Arabia. Its location is strategically situated along the primary highway linking Amman and Baghdad, as well as along the route of the Kirkuk–Haifa oil pipeline.
The settlement first emerged as a remote stopover point during the early twentieth century. It served as a critical water stop for overland travelers using the Nairn Transport Company on the route known as the Nairn Way, which connected Baghdad and Damascus. During the era of British administration in Mandatory Iraq, it also functioned as a designated rest site for Imperial Airways passenger flights operating from the United Kingdom to India and the Persian Gulf on a route connecting Cairo, Gaza, and Baghdad.
To accommodate transit passengers and secure the area, an airstrip and a fortified rest house were constructed at the location, assigned with armed soldiers for protection against hostile local tribes. In 1927, a large square fort with internal structures backed against high perimeter walls was established. The fort sheltered passing camel caravans, garrisoned infantry, and maintenance staff. Notable aviators visited the site, including Francis Chichester during his 1929 solo flight to New Zealand, where he received technical assistance from an on-site aircraft mechanic.
The surrounding desert terrain near Ar Rutba has been the location of various notable historical events. In December 1934, the Dutch KLM DC-2 aircraft known as the Uiver crashed sixteen kilometers south of the town during severe winter weather, resulting in the loss of all passengers and crew. Over the subsequent decades, the area hosted regional security infrastructure, chemical production facilities, and military encampments situated near airfields in the surrounding region.
Climatically, Ar Rutba features a hot desert climate with an average annual temperature of 18.8 °C (65.8 °F). It is considered a relative wet spot within its arid setting, receiving an average of 114.3 to 117 millimeters (4.5 to 4.61 inches) of rain each year, with most precipitation falling during the winter season. Historical accounts from early travelers noted that despite the desert environment, winter conditions at the high-plateau outpost could be notably cold inside the unheated masonry quarters.
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