Ar-Rutbah

Ar-Rutbah Arabic: الرطبة‎‎
A rooftop view of Ar-Rutbah on 1 January 2009
Ar-Rutbah
Coordinates: 33°2′17″N 40°17′4″E / 33.03806°N 40.28444°E / 33.03806; 40.28444
Country	Iraq
Province	Al-Anbar
District	Al-Rutbah
Government
• Mayor	Imad al-Dulaimi
Population (2012)
• Total	27,879
Time zone	GMT+3 (UTC+3)
Postal code	31011

Ar-Rutbah (Arabic: الرطبة‎‎, also known as Rutba, Rutbah, Rutbah Wells, or Ar-Rutba) is an Iraqi town in western Al Anbar province, completely inhabited with Sunni Muslims. The population is approximately 22,000. It occupies a strategic location on the Amman-Baghdad road, and the Mosul–Haifa oil pipeline. Considered a "wet spot", it receives 114.3 mm (4.5 inches) of rain annually, and is located on a high plateau. It has been described as "the most isolated town of any size in Iraq."

Ar-Rutbah began as a rest stop for Imperial Airways flights in the early 20th century, and also served as a water stop for the Nairn Transport Company. In December 1934, sixteen kilometers south of Ar-Rutbah, the famous Dutch plane Uiver crashed, with all onboard killed. During the Anglo-Iraqi War in 1941, Ar-Rutbah was the site of a clash between British forces, including the Arab Legion, and forces loyal to Rashid Ali.

During the British administration of Iraq, known as Mandatory Iraq, Rutbah Wells, as it was then known, was a rest stop for Imperial Airways flights from the UK to India and the Persian Gulf. Imperial Airways used an old fort at Rutbah Wells as a resthouse - however, "a common complaint in winter was the cold, for the builders at Rutbah Wells had, unaccountably, made no provision for fireplaces or chimneys." Aircraft were route from Cairo, to Gaza, to Rutbah Wells, to Baghdad. According to research conduct by Lucy Budd, of Loughborough University, the airstrip and rest house at Rutbah Wells were specifically built for Imperial Airways by the Iraqi government, and assigned a detachment of armed soldiers to defend against hostile tribes. One passenger wrote of the "unforgettable experience of arriving at the most desolate and extraordinary hostelry in the world", while another remarked on "the absurdity of coming down [in the morning] to an English ham and egg breakfast in the middle of the desert". Passengers were not expected to embark or disembark at Rutbah Wells.