A Return to Normalcy? The Restoration of Iraq’s Marshlands

DEVELOPMENTS

Life has improved for Iraq’s Marsh Arabs, or Ma’adan since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. No longer threatened with the complete destruction of the reed-filled marshes near Iraq’s border with Iran which they have called home for more than 5000 years, some of the more than 100,000 Ma'adan forced to relocate to camps in Iraq, Iran, or elsewhere during the 2003 invasion of Iraq have returned. With the help of the United Nations, non-government organizations, and innovative engineering, the Ma’adan will continue their restoration process apace, but the ultimate fate of the Ma'adan's native marshland culture remains an open question.

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