Also known in English as the Iraqi Marshes and in Arabic as Al-Ahwar, this vast region of wetlands spreads across 35,572 square kilometres (13,734 sq. miles) of the country´s south, in the floodplains of the Tigris and Eurphrates Rivers between the cities of Al-Amarah, Basra, and Nasiriyah (the usual point of departure for tours). In addition to a wealth of bird species (including flamingos, pelicans, herons, and the sacred ibis), these wetlands are home to a distinct culture of some 85,000 "marsh Arabs" who live in reed huts and make their living fishing, harvesting rice and reeds, and husbanding water buffalo. Although their numbers, and indeed the ecosystem itself are still recovering from the catastrophic draining inflicted by the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein in the early 1990s, today, visiting this remarkable region and its people provides a window into a fascinating - and endangered - culture, which along with the ecosystem itself has earned the marshes UNESCO World Heritage status.
Comments