The economy is predominantly agricultural, specializing in the production of date palms and grains.

It was called al-'Auja (العوجة, crooked) due to the way the river distorts the shape of the city, and al-Abyad (الاأبيض, white) due to the supposed presence of the white lion in its environs.

The city contains 35 archaeological sites, pertaining to different time periods from the Babylonian to the Islamic eras.

[1] Members of his tribe mounted a raid on the government holding facility and freed him.

It is approximately 25 kilometers north of Samawah, and several roads link the two cities.