MARSHES TOUR

Marshes Tours:

The Mesopotamian Marshes, also known as the Iraqi Marshes, located in Southern Iraq.

The marshes are home to 40 species of bird and several species of fish and animals. It demarcates a range limit for a number of bird species. Flamingos, pelicans and herons inhabit the marshes. The marshes were once home to a large number of birds and the stopover for many other migratory birds as they traveled from Siberia to Africa.

The Marsh Arabs are the primary inhabitants of the Mesopotamian Marshes and are theorized by some to be the descendants of ancient Sumerians, as their civilization dates back 5,000 years. They live in secluded villages of elaborate reed houses throughout the marshes, often only reached by boat. Fish, rice cultivation, water buffalo and other resources are also used in their daily lives. In the 1950s, there were an estimated 500,000 Marsh Arabs. This population shrank to about 20,000 following the draining and Saddam’s violent reprisals.

 

We offer:

      • Knowledgeable tour guide.
      • Comfortable transportation.
      • Accomodation at 3* or 4* in Nasiriyah.
      • Logistical support.
      • Discover the history and lives of Marshland Arabs through full immersion:
      • Guided boat tour through the Marshlands.
      • Visit to a traditional home.
      • Traditional breakfast with a local family after a very beautiful sunrise.
      • Lunch in a traditional reed house / Eat Ghareeba fish – a special kind of fish that is only in marshes.

See & Do:

  • Meet Abu Haider.
  • Visit two marshes (Al Hammar West and The Central Marshes).
  • See the Iraqi Water Buffalos.
  • Enjoy the biodiversity, especially different kinds of Birds.
  • Listen to Waneen of Marshes – a traditional singing way of Arab Marshmen.
  • Ahwar Safari – an overnight stay at one of the remote houses in the islands.
  • Swim at the marshes.
  • Meet the locals and know more about their way of life.
  • Boat tour for more than 2 hours.
  • Visit Al Madheef built by reeds and have a traditional coffee.

Important info:

  • World heritage site of UNESCO since 2016.
  • Very important and unique natural wetlands in the south of Iraq.
  • Four main Marshes (Central Marshes, Hammar West, Hammar East and Hwaizah).
  • Mentioned in the bible as the Garden of Eden’s.
  • Many Mesopotamians tablets mentioned the Marshes in texts or drawings.