houseboats in the Marshes Region Ahvar in southern Iraq; Ahvar is the region where communities called Ma’dan and Swamp Arabs live. This region, which is said to date back 5 thousand years, is also known as the “Garden of Paradise”. The region, which is defined as the Venice of the Middle East, is the place referred to by some as the “Garden of Eden” in the Bible. The architectural wonders of the floating houses in the region are called “Mudhif”. However, the region has come to the point of extinction due to the political conflicts.
Located at the meeting point of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the Marshes Region is the largest in the Middle East. The floating houses, built on a platform without nails, boards and glass, are made of mud and reed. This construction technique, which has been used for thousands of years by the people living in the region, is on the verge of extinction today. The people in the region, which is in danger of extinction due to the drying policy, had to migrate.
The Reason for the Destruction of the Swamps Region
The marshes, defined as the Garden of Eden, bear traces of the region’s bitter history. The floating houses in the area once hosted people who were persecuted by the state. Saddam Hussein, the deposed leader of the Iraqi Government, dried up the water resources of the wetland where these unique structures were located, in order to punish the Swamp Arabs due to the riots in 1991. The biodiversity in the desert region has been greatly damaged and has come to the brink of extinction.
A project that disrupted the flow of water to the people of the region and was shelved in the 1970s was brought up again. The food sources of the region were destroyed, their houses were burned, and their Paradise was systematically turned into a desert. It has been found that the small amount of water left in the region is toxic. Many people living in the region left their homes and traditional lifestyles and migrated to different parts of Iraq. Some of these people were also forced to go to refugee camps in Iran. Only a few of the nearly half a million Marsh Arabs continue to live in traditional houses in the region.
Improvement Works in the Marshes Region
According to the statement made by Human Rights Watch, the population of Marsh Arabs in 1991 was approximately 250 thousand. However, due to the Saddam regime, ninety percent of the swamps were destroyed until 2003. After the overthrow of the Saddam regime in 2003, returns to the region started within the scope of the improvement policy. In particular, the work carried out by the United Nations Environment Program in 2005 has been a hope for a return. Despite all efforts, the Swamps Region continues to be adversely affected due to global warming and the dams built on the rivers. It is thought that it will take many years for the ecosystem in the region to fully recover.
Swamp Arabs who have returned and continue to live in the region suffer from a shortage of clean drinking water. He is suffering from health and education problems under bad, difficult conditions. An Iraqi-born hydraulic engineer, who left his life in California and devoted his life to saving this region, founded the “Nature Iraq” group. Engineer; It leads improvement studies with the financial support of countries such as the USA, Canada, Japan and Italy. Firstly, floating houses were built to match the traditional Mudhif houses of the Swamp Arabs. These reed houses, built in accordance with the spirit of the region, serve as guesthouses where locals and visitors stay and spend time together.
Iraq; He wants the Ahvar Region with floating houses to be opened to world tourism. Chairman of the Iraqi Parliament Tourism and Artifacts Committee; He stated that the Ahvar Region has been added to the world heritage list. He stated that the government and the United Nations should do their part in order to open up to world tourism and ensure that more water is transported to the region. More investors are expected to Ahvar, which is also a prime tourism region.
