Return to the Marshes

A great book, which is best read after Thesiger's [b:The Marsh Arabs 18245705 The Marsh Arabs Wilfred Thesiger https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1374895672l/18245705.SY75.jpg 855162], and Gavin Maxwell's [b:A Reed Shaken by the Wind: Travels among the Marsh Arabs of Iraq 1075636 A Reed Shaken by the Wind Travels among the Marsh Arabs of Iraq Gavin Maxwell https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387669602l/1075636.SY75.jpg 1062348].This book covers three aspects. It initially goes back into the history of the Mesopotamian Marshes and covers its changes over time. Sumerian's, the introduction of Islam, first contact with Europeans, the coming of the British (World War I).It then delves into Gavin Young's own time in the marshes, starting in 1952. Starting out with Thesiger, then spending time by himself with the Madan, with his own boat and his own crew of paddlers. Young leaves the marshes in 1956.The third section charts Young's subsequent visit in 1973, when he tracked down a lot of his former friends, revisiting places familiar to him. This visit and a few returns in the following 4-5 years gave the author a lot of hope for the future. There was a lot that was the same.A short quote from this section: One day alone with young Shibil as he fished a lagoon, I said ‘Before I returned here, I thought I would never see the marshes, or any of you ever again. I thought you might have all vanished.' He slapped his bare chest with his hand, sending a sharp echo around the red verge. ‘Vanished? We Madan? Do I look as if I would ever disappear?” He stood laughing in the prow of his canoe, brown and half naked, his spear raised to strike down into the water.My edition contains an epilogue written in 1989. In 1980, the Iran/Iraq war commenced. It was not until 1989 that there was a resolution. In 1984 Gavin Young succeeded in returning again to Basra, and into the Marshes. Many of his friends had died. Some had moved away. Many others remained. His view of the future was one of caution, but hope for the survival of the ancient Madan culture, and way of life.Sadly, Saddam Hussein's plan to dam rivers and drain the Marshes displaced the vast majority of these people. Wikipedia says the Marshes were considered a refuge for ‘elements persecuted by the government of Hussein', and in retribution he set up the irrigation project which resulted in displacement and resettlement, largely in refugee camps. The Marsh Arabs, who numbered around 500,000 in the 1950 were reduced to as few as 20,000 in Iraq. Since 2003, when dykes were breached returning waterflow, the process has been reversed and permanent wetlands cover 50% of the 1970s area. Now only a few thousand Madan remain in the marshes.