• Samir Abdullah poses with his family. All photos: Ishtar Obaid
    Samir Abdullah poses with his family. All photos: Ishtar Obaid
  • They are from Iraq's Al Bahar tribe
    They are from Iraq's Al Bahar tribe
  • Their home is in Chebayish Al Ahwar, Al Nasriyah
    Their home is in Chebayish Al Ahwar, Al Nasriyah
  • Many other families have been forced out of the marshes
    Many other families have been forced out of the marshes
  • The cause has been a drought that has affected the area over the past few years
    The cause has been a drought that has affected the area over the past few years
  • The drought has made it hard for livestock, which the families rely on for milk, to survive
    The drought has made it hard for livestock, which the families rely on for milk, to survive
  • It has also affected the number of fish in the marshes
    It has also affected the number of fish in the marshes
  • Al Ebaa Abed makes bread for her family
    Al Ebaa Abed makes bread for her family
  • Fuel for the oven is gathered from the surrounding countryside
    Fuel for the oven is gathered from the surrounding countryside
  • With her son, Kasim Mohammed, looking on, she creates clay 'hot plates' that are heated for the bread to be made on
    With her son, Kasim Mohammed, looking on, she creates clay 'hot plates' that are heated for the bread to be made on
  • The 'tanoor bread' is then laid out to cool
    The 'tanoor bread' is then laid out to cool
  • The family are one of the few remaining to exist in the marshlands
    The family are one of the few remaining to exist in the marshlands

MENA

A vanishing way of life on Iraq's marshlands - in pictures

Photographer Ishtar Obaid takes a closer look at a family's day in southern Iraq

The National

January 19, 2023

  • English
  • Arabic
Updated: January 19, 2023, 10:38 AM
Iraq