It is roughly 147 km south of Baghdad on the Al-Shamiya branch of the Euphrates.

Settlement dates back to Sumerian times, but the modern city was established in 1822 during the Ottoman era, named "Hamidya" after Abdul Hamid II.

The population has been homogeneously Twelver Shi'a for centuries, and many descend from the Nakha tribe of Arabia.

It is located in the fertile, irrigated, drained, and alluvial plain of the middle Euphrates region.

The area surrounding the city is notable for its crops, especially rice, dates, and wheat.