Country Iraq Time zone GMT+3 (UTC+3) Population 95,800 (2013) Postal code 31007 | District Hīt District Ancient name Is Local time Saturday 6:57 PM Province Al Anbar Governorate | |
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Weather 24°C, Wind SE at 11 km/h, 36% Humidity | ||
Hīt, also spelled Heet (Arabic: هيت), ancient name Is, is an Iraqi city in Al-Anbar province. Hīt lies northwest of Ramadi, the provincial capital.
Map of Hit, Iraq
On the Euphrates River, Hīt is a small walled town built on two mounds on the site of the ancient city of Is. In ancient times, the town was known for its bitumen wells, which were used as far back as 3,000 years ago, to include building of Babylon and for caulking boats. Hīt also became a frontier fortress for Assyria. Now, Hīt is a marketplace for agricultural produce and oil pipelines to the Mediterranean Sea cross the Euphrates there. It was regarded as the head of navigation on the river before the decline in river traffic.
In October 2014, the city was liberated by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. An offensive was launched in February 2016 by the Iraqi Army and allied forces to liberate the city. The Iraqi Army, backed by U.S. airstrikes, took the city of Hīt from ISIL on 14 April 2016.