PROCEEDINGS | Scientific Symposium
• Brushy edge zone
• Marshes Buffaloes
Table 1 - The trails surroundings of the marshes area, National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior
The Marshland dwellings and inhabitants
The varieties of dwellings types in the marshes differ according to the construction material, location of
the houses, and their purpose. In general, most dwellings are made of reed. Types of marsh dwellings
include: 1. Sarifa It is considered to be one of the oldest and most common types of dwelling and is
constructed from reeds and rushes. Each Sarifa has the same structure and appearance: a rectangular
shape with a curved roof, covering an area of about 25 m², 2. Hut It is similar to the Sarifa, but its walls
are made of mud rather than reed. It is considered to be one of the simplest types of dwelling in the
marshes, and it has a rectangular or square shape with a curved roof. Huts are not built in the marsh. They
are found on riverbanks and at the edges of the marshes where flooding is less common 3. Sitra It is the
third type which is used to describe a house that is made of reeds and mud to keep animals. It is generally
found next to family’s house, and sometimes there is no separating wall between the two. (Al-Safi,2008).
Fig.3 - Marshland dwellings types, http://www.nasiriaelc.com/2013/10/2063
The inhabitants (The Marshmen)
Historically, the marshmen lived in the marshlands around the confluence of the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers
in southern Iraq, an area of 15-20,000 square kilometres. Their livelihood was tuned to the flood environment
and consisted of a combination of fishing and rice cultivation mixed with livestock breeding of buffalos.
Swamp reed was used to build houses and for centuries this self-sufficient way of life saw few chances.Until
recently the Marshes supported the traditional lifestyles of approximately 500000 indigenous people—the
Marsh Arabs. Women took an active role both inside and outside the home, gathering reeds, producing
handicrafts, helping care for water buffalo, working in the fields, and selling in the market The Marsh
Arabs maintained a reciprocal relationship within the Marshes. They developed a unique way of life that
tied them intimately to their environment. Traditional resource management included selective harvesting
and burning of reeds on a seasonal and phenological basis, multiple- species management (reeds, fish,
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