A buffalo bathing in the waters of the southern Iraqi marshes, which are drying up. Photo: Aymen Al-Ameri
A buffalo bathing in the waters of the southern Iraqi marshes, which are drying up. Photo: Aymen Al-Ameri
A buffalo bathing in the waters of the southern Iraqi marshes, which are drying up. Photo: Aymen Al-Ameri
A buffalo bathing in the waters of the southern Iraqi marshes, which are drying up. Photo: Aymen Al-Ameri

Why Iraq's marshes are 'treasures we need to fight for'


Razmig Bedirian
  • English
  • Arabic

One of Iraq’s most beautiful natural wonders and a cradle of surviving Sumerian traditions, the southern marshes now evoke more grief than awe.

Aymen Al-Ameri reflects upon their deterioration in An Imaginary Museum on the Ground, a photography exhibition that opened in July at the Cite Internationale des Arts in Paris.

Far from mere documentation, the project comes after a decade of journeys into the marshes, capturing their threatened beauty and showing why they are a cause worth fighting for.

“If the situation continues like this, in 20 years, the marshes won’t exist any more and most of the people there will have moved to the cities
Aymen Al-Ameri

Al-Ameri first began visiting the wetlands in 2015. As a photographer, he was drawn to the landscape he had long admired in images and in the paintings that adorned many Iraq homes. In person, the marshes were even more breathtaking, with labyrinths of reeds, branching waterways and lakes flat between the Tigris and Euphrates, glinting green, blue and gold.

“It’s out of the world, honestly,” Al-Ameri, a photographer at The National, says. “You can see the sky in the river’s reflection. The water is very clean and clear.”

The photographs show daily life in the marshes. Photo: Aymen Al-Ameri
The photographs show daily life in the marshes. Photo: Aymen Al-Ameri

Al-Ameri spend significant time learning about the area from the Marsh Arabs – also known as the Ahwaris – who have lived in the southern marshlands for centuries, navigating by canoe, herding water buffalo and preserving traditions that dates back to Sumer, the ancient civilisation that flourished between the fifth and third millennium BCE.

“Everything I had seen in the National Museum of Iraq was suddenly in front of me,” Al-Ameri says. “The houses, the outfits they wear, how they fish, what they eat. Everything I saw in the museum, I saw in real life.”

After his first trip, Al-Ameri began taking routine journeys to the southern marshes, a drive that can take up to seven hours from his native Baghdad. However, with each visit, he began noticing the gradual decline of the area’s natural resources. The wetlands had only just begun reclaiming their old splendour after Saddam Hussein’s campaign to drain them, a move aimed at crushing political resistance among Marsh Arabs and opening the land for agriculture and oil extraction.

The photographs show the effects of the upstream dam projects on the marshlands. Photo: Aymen Al-Ameri
The photographs show the effects of the upstream dam projects on the marshlands. Photo: Aymen Al-Ameri

But in recent years, upstream dam projects, particularly in Turkey and Iran, have again imperilled the marshes, threatening both their biodiversity and the livelihoods of the people who depend on them.

“Everyone wants the water,” Al-Ameri says. “For the past five years, there has been little to no rain. There is also a shortage of the right people needed to deal with these issues.”

Al-Ameri’s photographs show the effects of these projects. Images of cracked earth, beached boats and parched expanses sharply contrast photographs taken earlier, showing buffaloes bathing in the waters and people rowing along the banks in their canoes.

It’s very easy to destroy this life when the water levels go down. Year by year, the water levels continued to drop and the heat continued to rise.
Aymen Al-Ameri

The architectural heritage of the Ahwaris is also visible, notably with the mudhif, houses with arching designs that are made using reeds harvested from the area. It often has ceremonial functions, being used for weddings, funerals and other large social gatherings. Several of the mudhifs in Al-Ameri's photographs are dilapidated by time and neglect, especially as a portion of the local population have begun moving to urban areas.

“It's a beautiful life when there is water,” Al-Ameri says. “But it’s very easy to destroy this life when the water levels go down. In the first few years, we saw the damage to the people, to the fishing, birds, the buffaloes, but they still managed. They found a way. But year by year, the water levels continued to drop and the heat continued to rise.”

The environmental concern also threatens the region’s history and attachment to a millennia-long culture. Photo: Aymen Al-Ameri
The environmental concern also threatens the region’s history and attachment to a millennia-long culture. Photo: Aymen Al-Ameri

These environmental issues also threaten the region’s history and attachment to a millennia-long culture. “It was linked to Sumer and 6,000 years of history,” Al-Ameri says. “If the situation continues like this, in 20 years, the marshes won’t exist any more and most of the people there will have moved to the cities, their children will forget their culture.”

After years of challenges and frustrations related to drought, people in the marshes are already feeling disconnected from the land, Al-Ameri says. “They’ve got tired. There’s little hope. Before they’d talk about how they loved the land and the water. Now when they talk, it’s mostly negative and their singing during their gatherings have become sad.”

The situation, Al-Ameri says, is layered. He wanted to do his best to capture this complexity through his photographs but also to present these issues in a novel manner during his residency at Cite Internationale des Arts in Paris. He wanted to position the photographs in a way that compelled visitors to scan and sift through them with an intimate and thoughtful eye. To simply hang them on the wall wouldn't do.

Al-Ameri also included photographs of artefacts and objects from the marshes, taken from different museums. Photo: Mohsen Othman
Al-Ameri also included photographs of artefacts and objects from the marshes, taken from different museums. Photo: Mohsen Othman

Instead, Al-Ameri spread a thousand photographs across the floor of the exhibition and in the halls that led to the space. The photographs were arranged in forms that allude to the waterways of the marshes. But there was also another reason that Al-Ameri opted to have the photographs on the floor.

The idea came after a visit to the outskirts of the ancient city of Babylon. Standing on a mound covered in soil, Al-Ameri realised that fragments of history, quite literally, were buried beneath his feet – with ancient pieces of clay, stones and other antiquities peeking out of the earth.

“So, I decided to display the photographs on the ground,” Al-Ameri says. “Like how we found prior civilisations underneath us, I wanted people to sit on the floor and look through the photographs, to excavate for the treasures of the marshes. I also included photographs of artefacts and objects from the marshes, taken from different museums.”

The exhibition is designed to formally reflect on the topology of the marshes. Photo: Mohsen Othman
The exhibition is designed to formally reflect on the topology of the marshes. Photo: Mohsen Othman

Al-Ameri says the exhibition in Paris helped introduce the history and richness of the marshes to an international audience. An Imaginary Museum on the Ground – which is part of Sarab, a larger project dedicated to the marshes – will have another run in the French capital, exhibiting at Galerie B50 in September.

“When I did this exhibition in Cite, I wanted to talk to the international audience so that they can think and feel of the environmental dangers around them. It was especially relevant with the recent heatwave in Paris. I also wanted them to see a different image of the Middle East and Iraq.”

Al-Ameri is bringing An Imaginary Museum on the Ground to Baghdad and Erbil in December. Photo: Mohsen Othman
Al-Ameri is bringing An Imaginary Museum on the Ground to Baghdad and Erbil in December. Photo: Mohsen Othman

But Al-Ameri also intends to bring the exhibition back home. An Imaginary Museum on the Ground will be showing at the French Institute in both Baghdad and Erbil in December. He wants to highlight the environmental aspect of the situation in the marshes to local audiences, with an added message.

“I want to show that it’s full of history. And that we have these treasures that we need to fight for.”

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Electric scooters: some rules to remember
  • Riders must be 14-years-old or over
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RESULT

Huddersfield Town 1 Manchester City 2
Huddersfield: Otamendi (45' 1 og), van La Parra (red card 90' 6)
Man City: Agüero (47' pen), Sterling (84')

Man of the match: Christopher Schindler (Huddersfield Town)

Company Profile

Company name: Fine Diner

Started: March, 2020

Co-founders: Sami Elayan, Saed Elayan and Zaid Azzouka

Based: Dubai

Industry: Technology and food delivery

Initial investment: Dh75,000

Investor: Dtec Startupbootcamp

Future plan: Looking to raise $400,000

Total sales: Over 1,000 deliveries in three months

Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

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Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

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Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
The biog

Siblings: five brothers and one sister

Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota

Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym

Favourite place: UAE

Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera

What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books

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CHELSEA'S NEXT FIVE GAMES

Mar 10: Norwich(A)

Mar 13: Newcastle(H)

Mar 16: Lille(A)

Mar 19: Middlesbrough(A)

Apr 2: Brentford(H)

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The alternatives

• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.

• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.

• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.

2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.

• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases -  but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.

Why seagrass matters
  • Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
  • Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
  • Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
  • Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
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Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

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Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

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Specs

Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric

Range: Up to 610km

Power: 905hp

Torque: 985Nm

Price: From Dh439,000

Available: Now

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Europe’s rearming plan
  • Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
  • Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
  • Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
  • Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
  • Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
House-hunting

Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove

  1. Edinburgh, Scotland 
  2. Westminster, London 
  3. Camden, London 
  4. Glasgow, Scotland 
  5. Islington, London 
  6. Kensington and Chelsea, London 
  7. Highlands, Scotland 
  8. Argyll and Bute, Scotland 
  9. Fife, Scotland 
  10. Tower Hamlets, London 

 

How Alia's experiment will help humans get to Mars

Alia’s winning experiment examined how genes might change under the stresses caused by being in space, such as cosmic radiation and microgravity.

Her samples were placed in a machine on board the International Space Station. called a miniPCR thermal cycler, which can copy DNA multiple times.

After the samples were examined on return to Earth, scientists were able to successfully detect changes caused by being in space in the way DNA transmits instructions through proteins and other molecules in living organisms.

Although Alia’s samples were taken from nematode worms, the results have much bigger long term applications, especially for human space flight and long term missions, such as to Mars.

It also means that the first DNA experiments using human genomes can now be carried out on the ISS.

 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs

Engine: 3.8-litre V6

Power: 295hp at 6,000rpm

Torque: 355Nm at 5,200rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km

Price: Dh179,999-plus

On sale: now 

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2)
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDisplay%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206.7%E2%80%9D%20LPTO%20Amoled%2C%202412%20x%201080%2C%20394ppi%2C%20HDR10%2B%2C%20Corning%20Gorilla%20Glass%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProcessor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Qualcomm%20Snapdragon%208%2B%20Gen%202%2C%20octa-core%3B%20Adreno%20730%20GPU%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMemory%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%2F12GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECapacity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20128%2F256%2F512GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPlatform%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Android%2013%2C%20Nothing%20OS%202%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMain%20camera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dual%2050MP%20wide%2C%20f%2F1.9%20%2B%2050MP%20ultrawide%2C%20f%2F2.2%3B%20OIS%2C%20auto-focus%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMain%20camera%20video%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204K%20%40%2030%2F60fps%2C%201080p%20%40%2030%2F60fps%3B%20live%20HDR%2C%20OIS%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFront%20camera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2032MP%20wide%2C%20f%2F2.5%2C%20HDR%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFront%20camera%20video%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Full-HD%20%40%2030fps%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204700mAh%3B%20full%20charge%20in%2055m%20w%2F%2045w%20charger%3B%20Qi%20wireless%2C%20dual%20charging%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wi-Fi%2C%20Bluetooth%205.3%2C%20NFC%20(Google%20Pay)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBiometrics%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Fingerprint%2C%20face%20unlock%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EI%2FO%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20USB-C%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDurability%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20IP54%2C%20limited%20protection%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECards%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dual-nano%20SIM%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EColours%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dark%20grey%2C%20white%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIn%20the%20box%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nothing%20Phone%20(2)%2C%20USB-C-to-USB-C%20cable%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%20(UAE)%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dh2%2C499%20(12GB%2F256GB)%20%2F%20Dh2%2C799%20(12GB%2F512GB)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE

Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.

THE BIG THREE

NOVAK DJOKOVIC
19 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 5 (2011, 14, 15, 18, 19)
French Open: 2 (2016, 21)
US Open: 3 (2011, 15, 18)
Australian Open: 9 (2008, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21)
Prize money: $150m

ROGER FEDERER
20 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 8 (2003, 04, 05, 06, 07, 09, 12, 17)
French Open: 1 (2009)
US Open: 5 (2004, 05, 06, 07, 08)
Australian Open: 6 (2004, 06, 07, 10, 17, 18)
Prize money: $130m

RAFAEL NADAL
20 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 2 (2008, 10)
French Open: 13 (2005, 06, 07, 08, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20)
US Open: 4 (2010, 13, 17, 19)
Australian Open: 1 (2009)
Prize money: $125m

Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

Available: Now

Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)

Name: Colm McLoughlin

Country: Galway, Ireland

Job: Executive vice chairman and chief executive of Dubai Duty Free

Favourite golf course: Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club

Favourite part of Dubai: Palm Jumeirah

 

AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street

The seven points are:

Shakhbout bin Sultan Street

Dhafeer Street

Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)

Salama bint Butti Street

Al Dhafra Street

Rabdan Street

Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)

The biog

Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi

Age: 23

How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them

Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need

Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman

Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs 

Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing

Silent Hill f

Publisher: Konami

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Rating: 4.5/5

Know your Camel lingo

The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home

Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless

Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers

Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s

Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival

Pieces of Her

Stars: Toni Collette, Bella Heathcote, David Wenham, Omari Hardwick   

Director: Minkie Spiro

Rating:2/5

Updated: September 11, 2025, 10:05 AM