The Kawliya or Qawliya or Kowawlah (Arabic,كاولية or كاولي) are a nomadic people

Nomad

Nomadic people , commonly known as itinerants in modern-day contexts, are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. There are an estimated 30-40 million nomads in the world. Many cultures have traditionally been nomadic, but...

 (Gypsies) from Iraq

Iraq

Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....

. Gypsy means Qawliya in Arabic

Arabic language

Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...

. The Qawliya are known for their dancers and music.

Qawliya is also the name of a village, located about 100 miles southeast of Baghdad

Baghdad

Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...

, where Gypsies live. The village was reportedly destroyed by a militia controlled by a militant Shiite Muslim cleric. The exact circumstances are not clear.