The Marsh Arabs are the inhabitants of the lowlands of southern Iraq, the former Mesopotamia, whose families have lived in the area for thousands of years. The marshlands, known as the Tigris-Euphrates alluvial salt marsh, had for some time been considered a refuge for elements persecuted by the Saddam government, and, in centuries past, refuges for escaped slaves and serfs. For other uses, see Mesopotamia (disambiguation). ... This article is about marsh, a type of wetland. ... ecoregion : Tigris-Euphrates alluvial salt marsh (Ref PA0906). ... Slave redirects here. ... “Serf” redirects here. ...

Culture

The interior of an Iraqi mudhif

Marsh Arabs poling a mashoof

Traditionally, the society of the Marsh Arabs is split into two groups based on occupation. The group known as the Sharqion breed and raise buffalo, while the majority cultivate crops such as rice, barley, wheat and millet and some sheep and cattle. More recently a third main occupation has entered Marsh Arab life; the weaving of reeds on a commercial scale. Long used for personal use, reed mats have recently become a commercial commodity all across southern Iraq. Though often paying far more than the agriculture, weavers are looked down upon by both Ma'dan and farmers alike, though financial concerns mean that gradually it is gaining acceptance as a respectable profession. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1500 × 1125 pixel, file size: 444 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1500 × 1125 pixel, file size: 444 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 585 pixelsFull resolution (1472 × 1077 pixel, file size: 844 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 585 pixelsFull resolution (1472 × 1077 pixel, file size: 844 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Species Bubalus arnee Bubalus depressicornis Bubalus quarlesi Bubalus mindorensis Bubalus is a genus of bovines, the English name of which is buffalo. ... Agriculture (encompassing farming, grazing, and the tending of orchards, vineyards and timberland) is the production of food, feed, fiber and other goods by the systematic raising of plants and animals. ... For other uses, see Rice (disambiguation). ... Binomial name L. Barley (Hordeum vulgare) is an annual cereal grain, which serves as a major animal feed crop, with smaller amounts used for malting and in health food. ... Species T. aestivum T. boeoticum T. compactum T. dicoccoides T. dicoccon T. durum T. monococcum T. spelta T. sphaerococcum T. timopheevii References:   ITIS 42236 2002-09-22 For the indie rock group see: Wheat (band). ... Pearl millet in the field The millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. ... Species See text. ... For general information about the genus, including other species of cattle, see Bos. ... Tweed loom, Harris, 2004 Woven sheet Weaving is an ancient textile art and craft that involves placing two sets of threads or yarn called the warp and weft of the loom and turning them into cloth. ... species Pragmites australis Reed is a generic term used to describe numerous plants including: Common Reed (Phragmites australis Cav. ...

As with most tribes of southern Iraq, the sheik of a Marsh Arab group will collect a tribute from his tribesmen in order to maintain the mudhif, the tribal guesthouse which acts as the political, social, judicial and religious centre of Marsh Arabic life. The mudhif is used as a place to settle disputes, carry out diplomacy with other tribes and the gathering point for religious celebrations and prayer. It is also the place where visitors are offered hospitality. Most Marsh Arabs are Shia Muslims. Shaikh (Arabic: شيخ ),(also rendered as Sheik, Shaykh or Sheikh) is a word in the Arabic language meaning elder of tribe, lord or a revered old man. ... A tribute (from Latin tribulum, contribution) is wealth one party gives to another as a sign of respect or, as was often case in historical contexts, of submission or allegiance. ... The interior of an Iraqi mudhif A mudhif is a traditional reed house made by the Madan people (also known as Marsh Arabs) in the swamps of southern Iraq. ... The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions. ... For other uses, see Society (disambiguation). ... This article is about the concept of justice. ... Various Religious symbols, including (first row) Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Bahai, (second row) Islamic, tribal, Taoist, Shinto (third row) Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu, Jain, (fourth row) Ayyavazhi, Triple Goddess, Maltese cross, pre-Christian Slavonic Religion is the adherence to codified beliefs and rituals that generally involve a faith in a spiritual... This article is about negotiations. ... Mary Magdalene in prayer. ... The tone or style of this article may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

Since 1991

After the First Gulf War (1991) Saddam Hussein aggressively revived a program to divert the flow of the Tigris River and the Euphrates River away from the marshes in retribution for a failed Shia uprising. This was done primarily to eliminate the food source(s) of the Marsh Arabs. The plan also systematically converted the wetlands into a desert, forcing the Marsh Arabs out of their settlements in the region. With the ending of a four year drought in 2003, and the breaching of dykes by local communities, the process has been reversed and the marshes have experienced a substantial rate of recovery. The permanent wetlands now cover more than 50% of 1970s levels^[1] See also: 2003 invasion of Iraq and Gulf War (disambiguation) C Company, 1st Battalion, The Staffordshire Regiment, 1st UK Armoured Division The Persian Gulf War was a conflict between Iraq and a coalition force of 34 nations led by the United States. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was the fifth President of Iraq and Chairman of the Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council from 1979 until his overthrow by US forces in 2003. ... The Tigris (Old Persian: Tigr, Syriac Aramaic: Deqlath, Arabic: دجلة, Dijla, Turkish: Dicle; biblical Hiddekil) is the eastern member of the pair of great rivers that define Mesopotamia, along with the Euphrates, which flows from the mountains of Anatolia through Iraq. ... The Euphrates (the traditional Greek name for the river, which is in Old Persian Ufrat, Aramaic Prâth/Frot, in Arabic الفرات, in Turkish Fırat and in ancient Assyrian language Pu-rat-tu) is the westernmost of the two great rivers that define... This article is about marsh, a type of wetland. ... A subtropical wetland in Florida, USA, with an endangered American Crocodile. ... For the act of abandoning or withdrawing support from an entity, see desertion. ...

The 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq and subsequent coalition and Iraqi efforts to restore the marshes have led to signs of their gradual revivification as water is restored to the former desert, but the restoration of the ecosystem may take far longer to rebuild than it took to destroy. Only a few thousand of the nearly half million original inhabitants remain. Most of the rest that can be accounted for are refugees living in other Shia areas in Iraq, or have emigrated to Iran. For the act of abandoning or withdrawing support from an entity, see desertion. ... A coral reef near the Hawaiian islands is an example of a complex marine ecosystem. ...

Literature

The way of life of the Marsh Arabs was chronicled by Sir Wilfred Thesiger in his classic book The Marsh Arabs (1964). Thesiger lived with the Marsh Arabs for months at a time over a seven-year period (1951-1958), building excellent relationships with virtually all he met, and recording the details of day-to-day life in various regions of the marshes. Many of the areas that he visited have since been drained. Sir Wilfred Patrick Thesiger, KBE, DSO, (3 June 1910 – August 24, 2003) was a British explorer and travel writer born in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. ...

Gavin Maxwell, the Scottish naturalist, travelled with Thesiger through the marshes in 1956 and published an account of their travels in his classic 1957 book 'A Reed Shaken by the Wind'.

Link to Sumerians

Many academic authorities believe the Marsh Arabs to be the direct descendants of the Sumerians.^{[citation needed]} It is also believed that their culture is highly reflective of their ancient ancestors.^{[citation needed]} Sumer (or Shumer, Sumeria, Shinar, native ki-en-gir) formed the southern part of Mesopotamia from the time of settlement by the Sumerians until the time of Babylonia. ...

See also

• Tigris-Euphrates alluvial salt marsh
• Edward Bawden

ecoregion : Tigris-Euphrates alluvial salt marsh (Ref PA0906). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ...

References

Klaus Töpfer, UNEP Exec. ...

External links

• The Marsh Arabs (BBC)
• An article on the ancient and recent history of the Marsh Arabs at Laputan Logic (Part II)
• Life on the Edge of the Marshes: A twenty year long ethnographic study conducted by Edward Ochsenschlager. As well as documenting the traditional way of life of the Marsh Arabs, it also made comparisons with ancient Sumerian cultural practices.
• AMAR International Charitable Foundation ("Assisting Marsh Arabs and Refugees")