45' (ENG, GER)

Between the Euphrates and the Tigris in southern Iraq lies a landscape that was once so rich and fertile it was considered the biblical Garden of Eden: the Al-Ahwar marshes.
As the largest wetland in the Middle East, this region is not only an ecological gem but also the cradle of civilization. Here the Sumerians invented cuneiform script in cities like Ur and Eridu millennia ago and erected monuments such as the legendary ziggurat temples. Archaeologists have discovered over 80,000 clay tablets documenting the link between this water landscape and the emergence of culture and administration. To this day, the tradition of constructing “mudhifs”, spectacular reed palaces, endures. These structures serve as venues for celebrations and gathering places where people exchange news. The marshlands shape Iraq’s identity and history, and despite the many challenges, inhabitants of this vast wetland still sustain themselves through buffalo herding and fishing—a true symbiosis between humanity and nature.