Al-Qa'im

Al-Qa'im (, Kurdish: قائیم ) is an Iraqi border town located nearly 400 km (248 mi) northwest of Baghdad near the Syrian border and situated along the Euphrates River, and located in the Al Anbar Governorate. It has a population of about 74,100 and it's the center of the Al-Qa'im District. The river water at Al-Qa'im carries less salt and mineral, so that it takes significantly less water to sustainably produce crops here than farther downstream, where more gallons of water must be used to avoid salinity. The Al-Qa'im border crossing connects Al-Qaim to close city Abu Kamal in Syria. Pre-war history In the early 20th century, there was a khan (caravanserai) and police station in Al-Qa'im, but no village. The khan was built in 1907 and was the residence of a local administrator. The surrounding area was inhabited by Bedouin Arabs from the Karablah and Jara'if tribes.