The ‘Marsh Arabs’, written by Wilfred Thesiger, is an intimate, vivid and
captivating portrayal of the Arab tribes who inhabited the ever changing, swampy
wetlands which lay sheltered between the crossroads of the mighty rivers, the
Tigris and the Euphrates, in southern Iraq. Thesiger, one of the greatest
explorers of all time, has woven a rich tapestry around the everyday life of
the Madan or Marsh Arabs, whose extraordinary hospitality he enjoyed for nearly
six years in the 1950’s, and with whom he formed a lasting bond. The powerful
tribal clans, who dwelled in the magical marshes, enjoyed a way of existence that
remained by and large untouched for over 5 millennia. Life for these unassuming
folks revolved mostly around their ‘mudhif’ or traditional houses made from
reeds or ‘qasab’ and their ‘mashuf’ (bitumen covered canoes). Peppered with
numerous interesting anecdotes, the ‘Marsh Arabs’ is an evocative narrative of
a venerated way of life, that is fading into oblivion.
