In the years 2003, 2004 and 2006, Ikhlas Abbis traveled through the marshlands of southern Iraq. He took photographs of the process of development taking place in the swamps, which were drained under Saddam Hussein in the 1980s and reflooded after his overthrow.
Ikhlas Abbis's photo project was sponsored by the VG-Bild/Kunst Foundation and the German Academic Exchange Programme.
(Click on image to enlarge)
(Click on image to enlarge)
The UNEP report shows the extent of the marshlands in southern Iraq today and before they were drained under Saddam Hussein in the early 1980s.
Source: UNEP Report 'The Mesopotamian Marshlands: Demise of an Ecosystem' (2001)
The collapse of the Saddam Hussein regime in spring 2003 was greeted by Iraq's Shiite population with feelings of joy and satisfaction – especially those Shiites living in the marshy region between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, who had been persecuted and driven off their land under Hussein ever since the 1980s.
The Iraqi dictator was also responsible for destroying this unique habitat and triggering an ecological catastrophe of massive proportions. In the space of 20 years, Saddam Hussein had managed to almost completely drain the marshlands of southern Iraq, which once covered an area of 20,000 to 30,000 square kilometers.
Investing billions in the latest technologies, he had the Euphrates rechanneled to flow through artificial canals into the Shatt al-Arab. This dried up the marshes so that the land could be used for strategic purposes in the 1980s war with Iran. After the war was over, Hussein resumed his project in 1991 – as a punitive measure against the rebellious Shiite marsh residents.
After Saddam Hussein's fall, many of the expelled Shiite swamp dwellers returned and began to reflood the drained areas. By now, up to 50 percent of the original marshes have been re-inundated.
The United Nations Environment Programme along with several nature conservation organizations has called for the massive ecological damage in the region to be redressed and is helping to restore the marshlands. Countries such as Japan, Great Britain, Italy and the USA have contributed funds to the renaturation project, which is still being conducted today under the leadership of Iraqi as well as international experts.
Up until 1980, around 500,000 people lived in the marshes, which stretch between the city of Kut, about 170 kilometers south of Baghdad, and Basra. A UNESCO world heritage site due to its status as the cradle of civilization, the Iraqi Marshlands resulted from the regular flooding of the Euphrates-Tigris basin.
The Marsh Arabs have lived here for centuries in perfect harmony with their environment. Their houses are made of papyrus reeds ("qasab") which they gather using small boats ("mashhuf") and their livelihood is based exclusively on rice cultivation, fishing and hunting.
One can well imagine why the residents claim that their region was once the site of the Garden of Eden. But with the grave ecological damage that has been done here and long years of renaturation still ahead, it will be quite a while before the dream of paradise can once more come true.
Ikhlas Abbis
© Qantara.de 2006
Translated from the German by Jennifer Taylor-Gaida
Ikhlas Abbis, originally from Iraq, has a degree in photographic design and has been working as a freelance photographer in Germany since 1979. He focuses mainly on photographic reporting and portraits. His themes include the dialogue between cultures, Muslims in Germany and Sufism in Islam.
Source: UNEP Report 'The Mesopotamian Marshlands: Demise of an Ecosystem' (2001)
The collapse of the Saddam Hussein regime in spring 2003 was greeted by Iraq's Shiite population with feelings of joy and satisfaction – especially those Shiites living in the marshy region between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, who had been persecuted and driven off their land under Hussein ever since the 1980s.
The Iraqi dictator was also responsible for destroying this unique habitat and triggering an ecological catastrophe of massive proportions. In the space of 20 years, Saddam Hussein had managed to almost completely drain the marshlands of southern Iraq, which once covered an area of 20,000 to 30,000 square kilometers.
Investing billions in the latest technologies, he had the Euphrates rechanneled to flow through artificial canals into the Shatt al-Arab. This dried up the marshes so that the land could be used for strategic purposes in the 1980s war with Iran. After the war was over, Hussein resumed his project in 1991 – as a punitive measure against the rebellious Shiite marsh residents.
After Saddam Hussein's fall, many of the expelled Shiite swamp dwellers returned and began to reflood the drained areas. By now, up to 50 percent of the original marshes have been re-inundated.
The United Nations Environment Programme along with several nature conservation organizations has called for the massive ecological damage in the region to be redressed and is helping to restore the marshlands. Countries such as Japan, Great Britain, Italy and the USA have contributed funds to the renaturation project, which is still being conducted today under the leadership of Iraqi as well as international experts.
Up until 1980, around 500,000 people lived in the marshes, which stretch between the city of Kut, about 170 kilometers south of Baghdad, and Basra. A UNESCO world heritage site due to its status as the cradle of civilization, the Iraqi Marshlands resulted from the regular flooding of the Euphrates-Tigris basin.
The Marsh Arabs have lived here for centuries in perfect harmony with their environment. Their houses are made of papyrus reeds ("qasab") which they gather using small boats ("mashhuf") and their livelihood is based exclusively on rice cultivation, fishing and hunting.
One can well imagine why the residents claim that their region was once the site of the Garden of Eden. But with the grave ecological damage that has been done here and long years of renaturation still ahead, it will be quite a while before the dream of paradise can once more come true.
Ikhlas Abbis
© Qantara.de 2006
Translated from the German by Jennifer Taylor-Gaida
Ikhlas Abbis, originally from Iraq, has a degree in photographic design and has been working as a freelance photographer in Germany since 1979. He focuses mainly on photographic reporting and portraits. His themes include the dialogue between cultures, Muslims in Germany and Sufism in Islam.
