Amara Indian Forces Cemetery, Iraq
Amara (Left Bank) Indian War Cemetery • 29 April 2026 • 0 min 10 sec
Full walkthrough film of Amara (Left Bank) Indian War Cemetery, Iraq, recorded on site during the Commonwealth war graves field survey. The footage records the condition of the headstones, memorial panels, grounds and boundary walls.
The film was recorded at Amara (Left Bank) Indian War Cemetery as part of the independent field survey of Commonwealth war graves in Iraq. It is published here as a permanent visual record of the site for families, researchers and journalists who cannot travel to Iraq.
Full transcript of Amara Indian Forces Cemetery, Iraq
This film was recorded on site without spoken narration. The transcript below is a descriptive, timecoded account of what the camera records in each section of the film, compiled from the field survey notes for this site.
- 00:00
Entrance and first view of the site. The film opens at Amara (Left Bank) Indian War Cemetery, Amarah, left bank of the Tigris River. Adjacent to the British cemetery, this was the principal burial ground for Indian Army personnel during WWI and is believed to hold over 5,000 burials, making it the largest specifically Indian Forces Cemeteries under the responsibility of the CWGC.
- 01:00
Walk along the burial rows. The camera moves through the site, past the grave rows that hold 5,000 recorded burials, 5,000 from the First World War. This cemetery served Indian military hospitals established on the left bank of the Tigris during WWI.
- 02:00
Close views of headstones and inscriptions. Closer views follow of individual headstones, panel faces and inscriptions, recording how legible the names and regimental badges still are. A large proportion of Indian other ranks were recorded only by unit totals rather than individual names, reflecting colonial-era record-keeping practices that did not afford Indian soldiers the same documentation as British troops.
- 03:00
Grounds, paths, planting and boundary walls. The camera records the paths, planting, boundary walls and general upkeep of the grounds. Recorded condition at the time of the survey: Derelict. **November 2025 Assessment:** In complete contrast to the British Cemetery the Indian Cemetery is a wasteland similar to Basra but without any physical boundary.
- 04:00
Closing wide view before the film ends. The film closes on a wide view of the site. As the largest Commonwealth cemetery in Iraq by burial numbers, this site represents the immense sacrifice of Indian soldiers in Mesopotamia.