Its name is attributed to Sheikh Ahmed al-Rifa'i, founder of the Rifa'i Sufi order.

The district has a population of 450,000 people[citation needed], mostly Arabs and Shias who work in agriculture, small business, and government jobs.

In the mid 19th century, it attracted merchants from all around Iraq due to the agricultural plenty, especially wheat, barley, dates, and Arabic horses which had been exported to India.

Garraf oil field was awarded to consortium led by Malaysian petronas with Japanese Jappex as secondary partner in Second licensing round in December 2009.

According to the deal the remuneration fee offered was $1.49 and the 'plateau production target' was 150,000 barrels per day.