Construction work has began on what will be the largest industrial city in the Arab region, the Iraqi Ministry of Industry and Minerals announced Saturday (February 11th).

The industrial city will be built on 560 dunams and has a total value of $275 million.

Luay al-Najjar, an advisor to the Iraqi Ministry of Industry, said a Turkish-Italian company and four Iraqi companies are working on the project which is located in the Baghdad's southern suburb in the al-Nahrawan district..

Al-Najjar said the city will be able to accommodate more than 13,000 workers, and is designed to alleviate congestion in the capital by attracting large industrial workshops and plants and improving the capital's environment.

Al-Najjar said the city, which is scheduled to be completed by the beginning of 2013, would include 1,300 sites for different workshops, plants and factories. All of the workshops will be rented to private sector entities.