The Hawizeh Marshes are a complex of
marshes that straddle the
Iran–Iraq border. The marshes are fed by two branches of the
Tigris River (the
Al-Musharrah and
Al-Kahla) in
Iraq
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
and the
Karkheh River in
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
. The Hawizeh marsh is critical to the survival of the
Central and
Hammar marshes also make up the
Mesopotamian Marshes, because they are a refuge for species that may recolonize or reproduce in other marshlands. Hawizeh Marshes are drained by the Al-Kassarah. This river plays a critical role in maintaining the marshes as a flow-through system and preventing it from becoming a
closed saline basin.
Hawizeh Marshes have been populated for more than 5,000 years. They are fed by the
Tigris and Euphrates rivers in present-day Iraq and the Karkhen River in present-day Iran. The
Marsh Arabs live in Iraq and Hawizeh people live in Iran. From the time of the
Sumerians and
Babylonians people lived in the marshes.
In the southwest of Iran and the southeast of Iraq, the Hawizeh and Hammar Marshes host many small cities. These cities in the marshes are part of both countries and no border separates them. The people travel in small canoe-like boats called
Mashoof to move between Iraq and Iran. The marsh cities were built on water. The people who live there lead simple lives. They make houses out of reeds without electricity or cars, and generally have no education. The people fish, hunt, and cultivate buffalo.
The area where the fresh waters reaches the marshes is far from the cities. The marshes offer a safe home for thousands of migrating animals such as wild squirrels, white eagle, hawks, brown dukes and squirrels who raise their young there.
[Morrison, John. “Tigris-Euphrates alluvial Salt marsh. Worldwildilife. World wildlife. N.d.Web.30 Apr. 2015.]
Around 3,000 BC, the marshes started at the
confluence
In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...
of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. These rivers flooded the land, created the marshes and started a new ecosystem with new animals, birds, fish and plants. This affected Sumerians and Babylonians who lived there. They lived off the marshes by fishing, hunting and planting. People came to live in the marshes. Time changed some of the people’s ideas and beliefs. With the break between the
Shia and
Mandaean forms of religion, Shia came to dominate in the marshes.
Ideas from Islam mixed with ideas from Sumer. These ideas include fantastic stories about ghosts, curses and extraterrestrials. In 1990-1992 when the Hussein government decided to dry the marshes because they thought an armed group lived there, the population left. Some moved to the cities, while others moved to Iran. After the
war in 2003, the Iraqi government reopened the flow, and the people returned to the marshes. Marshers number some 5,000.
Challenges
According to media inside of Iran, the officials of the Ministry of Oil and other economic sectors of the government, along with the private sector, have decided to dry up this wetland by drilling 32 new oil wells.
A water and environmental expert living in America says: "Currently, by drying a large part of this wetland due to exploration operations and the development of the oil field, serious damage has been done to the environment."
He added that manipulating wetlands and drying them causes a large part of dust and fine-grained sediments to be moved with every strong wind.
In addition to habitat degradation, recent reports indicate an increasing number of large birds, including
pelicans,
storks
Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout Beak, bills. They belong to the family (biology), family Ciconiidae, and make up the order Ciconiiformes . Ciconiiformes previously included a number of other families, suc ...
, and
herons, dying after colliding with high-voltage powerlines crossing the wetland, raising concern among conservationists and local communities.
[https://www.isna.ir/news/1402052515598]
See also
*
Mesopotamian Marshes
*
Tigris–Euphrates river system
*
Marsh Arabs
References
External source
Management Plan for the Hawizeh Marsh Ramsar Site of Iraq, Second Draft Volume 1: Background, Vision, Principles and Annexes, A Report Prepared for the Iraq National Marshes and Wetlands Committee, December 2008 (Accessed June 2011)
{{coord, 31, 32, 32, N, 47, 42, 24, E, region:IQ_type:waterbody, display=title
Marshes of Iraq
Marshes of Iran
Environmental issues in Iraq
Tigris River
Shatt al-Arab basin
Ramsar sites in Iraq
Mesopotamian Marshes
Basra Governorate
Geography of Khuzestan province