Lighthouses of Iraq

The Republic of Iraq has a very short coastline at the northwestern end of the Persian Gulf. Iraq's access to the sea is the Al Faw Peninsula, a narrow section of the delta of the Shatt al-Arab, the river formed by the confluence of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. The main course of the Shatt al-Arab, also the border between Iraq and Iran, is on the north side of the peninsula; on the south side is the Khawr abd Allah, a strait separating Iraq and Kuwait. The Shatt al-Arab is navigable to the port of Basra and Iraq also has a small port at Umm al Qasr on the Khawr abd Allah.

For many years Iraq has operated an offshore oil terminal, Khawr al Amaya, off the end of the peninsula. In 2013 Iraq began construction of a large general purpose port, the Al Faw Grand Port, near the mouth of the Khawr abd Allah. Construction has been delayed repeatedly by financial and political problems, and Iraq has had difficulty negotiating access agreements with Kuwait and Iran that would allow large ships to reach the port. Completion is now projected for 2025.

The Arabic word for a lighthouse is mnarh or manara (منارة). Ra's is the word for a cape or headland, jazīrat is an island, and minā is a harbor.

Navigational aids in Iraq are maintained by the port authority, the General Company for Ports of Iraq.

Admiralty numbers are from volume D of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 112.

General Sources
Online List of Lights - Persian Gulf
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas.
GPSNauticalCharts
Navigational chart information for Iraq.
Navionics Charts
Navigation chart for Iraq.


Al Faw Grand Port East Breakwater Light, Al Faw, August 2020
Reuters photo distribued by Iraqi government

Lighthouses
Khawr al Amaya Terminal
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 47 m (154 ft); white flash every 5 s. Approx. 42 m (138 ft) square skeletal tower. Haider Abood's photo is at right and Wikimedia has a U.S. Navy photo, but the platform is not shown in Google's satellite view. Located about 16 km (10 mi) southeast of the mouth of the Shatt al Arab. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Admiralty D7613; NGA 28972.
Al Faw Grand Port East Breakwater
2020. Not yet active. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) square concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Entire lighthouse is green. A photo is at the top of this page and Bing has a satellite view. Marwan Jalil's drone view shows that construction of the lighthouse had not yet begun in May 2019. Another Jalil drone view shows the port with the west breakwater in the distance. Navionics has charted these breakwaters but shows no lights on them. Located at the end of a long curved breakwater. Site and tower closed.
Al Faw Grand Port West Breakwater
2020. Not yet active. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) square concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Entire lighthouse is red. Guinness World Records has a distant aerial view on its page recognizing the 14.523 km (9.024 mi) breakwater as the world's longest. Bing has a satellite view. Located at the end of a long curved breakwater. Site and tower closed.

Khawr al Amaya Terminal Light, Persian Gulf, June 2016
Google Maps photo by Haider Abood

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: East: Southern Iran | South: Kuwait

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Created August 21, 2021. Checked and revised September 23, 2023. Lighthouses: 3. Site copyright 2023 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.