|
|
|
|
|
|
The Marsh Arabs: A Unique Way of Life
|
|
|
Women
returning home with Mashoof load of reeds
|
The
media has recently focused on the Mesopotamian marshes and their inhabitants,
known as the Marsh Arabs. The reason for all the attention the marshes have been
getting lately is the recent attempt to partially restore the drained marshes.
The
formerly vast marshes, which originally covered an area between 15,000 and
20,000 square kilometers (5,800 – 7,700 square miles), were ordered to be
drained by Saddam Hussein after the first Gulf War in 1991, in an attempt to
flush out the Shiites who revolted against him and were hiding in the marshes
and as a punishment to the Shiite Marsh Arabs who aided them.
The
drainage project diverted water from the Euphrates River that fed the southern
half of the marshes, while the northern and eastern parts of the marshes were
deprived of water from the Tigris River. Previously the largest wetland in the
Middle East, 95 percent of it had disappeared by 2003.
|
|
|
Mudheef
from inside
|
The
result was devastating for the Marsh Arabs who now had no means of living, their
existence being largely dependant on fish and birds living in the marshes which
were now gone. The ground was converted to dry, salt-encrusted earth or mud,
depriving Iraq of much-needed agricultural land and leaving no place for the
water buffalo that the marsh dwellers herded to roam. The reeds from which their
homes were built died as well.
With
nothing left for them, the Marsh Arabs were forced to leave their and their
forefathers’ beloved home and become refugees or internally displaced persons.
Tens of thousands escaped to Iran leaving only 50,000 marsh inhabitants by 1993.
The
Customs and Traditions
|
|
|
Reed
mats are the main building materials in the marshes
|
In
1990, an estimated 300,000 people lived in the Mesopotamian marshlands. Prior to
the drainage project, the Marsh Arabs led a distinctive way of life and had a
rich and fascinating culture. Also known as the Ma’dan, they are an indigenous
people who are believed to partly be the descendants of the ancient Sumerians
and Babylonians. Their unique way of life and culture, a 5,000-year-old
heritage, was passed on through the ages relatively unchanged.
The
culture of the Marsh Arabs is based almost entirely around the modest reed
plant, and their society and economy is supported by reed-associated crafts as
well as fishing and herding water buffalo.
The
large, abundant reeds were used by craftsmen to
create
many unique and splendid structures. The most magnificent and elaborate type of
these was the large and spacious building known as a mudheef (guest
house). A mudheef is a large structure with a domed roof that is made of
tightly woven reeds; it often needed as many as 100 workers to complete. The mudheefs
were protected from the water by a bank of woven reeds that elevated them above
the reach of the water and allowed them to be moved if need be. The most
fascinating aspect of these mudheefs is their long-standing history. It
is known from surviving seals that the ancient Sumerians also built these
structures. With the absence of television, telephones, and computers in their
lives, the Ma’dan used these mudheefs as the center of their social
life. In addition to the construction of the mudheefs, reeds were also
used to weave fences, beds, cots, baskets, canoe poles, as well as the reed mats
that were an important Iraqi export product.
Agriculture
in the marshlands involved mainly the cultivation of paddy rice, millet, and
dates. Narrow boats known as mashoofs, steered using long poles, were
used to navigate the waterways for transportation and for fishing. Internal
trade was an important means of support for the Ma’dan. The marshes also
served as a way-station for migratory birds from western Eurasia including
pelicans, flamingos, and herons. However, after the drainage project had its
effect, all aspects of this rich culture began to suffer.
Bringing
the Marshes Back to Life
|
|
|
The
marshlands are being brought slowly back to life
|
Now,
12 years after the devastating drainage project, the marshlands are being
brought slowly back to life. Iraqi engineers, in an attempt to reverse the
damage already done, have redirected the Euphrates River to its original
pathway. The dam built by Hussein to divert the river water has been destroyed,
allowing the reflooding of the wetlands. However, the flow has not been
sufficient due to the presence of new dams and irrigation canals in Iraq,
Turkey, and Syria.
The
gradually increasing water level in the marshes is giving new hope to the Marsh
Arabs, who are eagerly awaiting the return to their previous lifestyle. By June
2004, almost 40 percent of the marshlands had been reflooded.
The
marshes are still not fully back to life, though: The reeds are not plentiful
enough, the fish are still too small, and the birds that have returned are not
those suitable for trapping. But with time the Marsh Arabs hope the revival of
their beloved marshes will come to pass.
Sources:
*
Aisha
El-Awady is an IslamOnline.net staff-writer. She has
a bachelor’s degree in medicine from Cairo University and is currently working
as instructor of Parasitology in the Faculty of Medicine. She may be contacted
at aawady@islam-online.net
|
|
|
|
|
|
