
Tigris River & Mesopotamian Marshes
IraqNetwork partner Ruya Foundation, a non-profit, non-governmental art organization, locates their weather stations in two locations: Tigres River and the marshes of Southern Iraq, exploring the impact of rising temperatures on the delicate ecosystems of these areas.
About this weather station
The ancient cities of the Sumerian Marshes gave birth to the Mesopotamian Civilization where agriculture first developed and writing was invented around 3500 BC. Over recent decades, the delicate ecosystem of Iraq’s marshlands have been severely threatened through rising temperatures, neglect and conflict, with many inhabitants forced to resettle due to Saddam Hussein’s regime redirecting the river and drying out the marshes.
Water – or more precisely the lack of it – is an existential issue in many parts of Iraq and its neighbouring countries. Ruya Foundation has commissioned two artists to go in search of water, exploring its ancient cultural significance and the impact of rising temperatures on these delicate ecosystems and the communities who live there.
ENCOUNTERS ON THE TIGRIS
An artist’s search for water, myth and ritual along Iraq’s ancient river
By Sherko Abbas
Sherko Abbas will journey along the Tigris river, from Zakho in the north to Al Faw in the south, to investigate the ways different communities relate to the river’s practical and symbolic importance through myth-telling and ritual.
In addition to capturing the soundscapes of each place, Abbas will also gather stories, songs and poetry from the people who inhabit both sides of the river, starting in Dukan Lake near the Iraqi-Kurdish border and ending in the marshlands of southern Iraq near the Persian Gulf. Focussing on fictional stories and myths about water that are orally transmitted from one generation to another, he will capture previously undocumented cultural traditions from across the country. The result will be a series of short films documenting the artist’s Encounters on the Tigris.
IN SEARCH OF THE MARSHES
Diaries from an ecosystem in crisis
By Akeel Khreef
From June 2022 to June 2023, artist Akeel Khreef will undertake monthly excursions across Iraq’s southern marshlands, where his family originates. The dying out of the Marshes highlights the emotional co-dependency of humans and non-humans in this fragile ecosystem. Using his own body as a barometer for climate change, he will focus on three key elements in the ecosystem: cane reeds, fish, and agriculture, to produce “field diaries” combining video footage and photography.
Commissioned by the Ruya Foundation for Contemporary Culture in Iraq.
RUYA FOUNDATION
The Ruya Foundation is an Iraqi registered non-profit, non-governmental organization founded in 2012 with the aim of aiding and enriching culture in Iraq, and building cultural bridges with the world.
Ruya’s initial goal is to promote culture in Iraq at a time when priorities are focused elsewhere and to build a platform that will enable Iraqis in the arts, the young in particular, to benefit from, and participate in international events. In addition to supporting local projects, its aim is to create a network of intercultural events that can contribute to the development of civil society in Iraq. It is also committed to nurturing a multicultural dialogue through the arts.
Weather Reports


Tigris Sound Lab - Diary Entry #1
Sherko Abbas
15-29 June 2022


In Search of the Marshes: The Karkh and the Rusafa
Akeel Khreef
July 2022
بحثا عن الاهوار: الكرخ والرصافة
عقيل خريف
يوليو 2022


The Acorn Harvest in Iraqi Kurdistan
Harriet Rix
9 December 2022


In Search of the Marshes: Reflections on the Iran-Iraq War
Akeel Khreef
August 2022
بحثًا عن الأهوار: تأملات في الحرب الإيرانية العراقية
عقيل خريف
أغسطس 2022


In Search of the Marshes: The Death of Agriculture
Akeel Khreef
September 2022
بحثا عن الأهوار: موت الزراعة
عقيل خريف
سبتمبر 2022


In Search of the Marshes: Drought and Protest
Akeel Khreef
October 2022
بحثًا عن الأهوار: الجفاف والاحتجاج
عقيل خريف
أكتوبر 2022

In Search of the Marshes: The Epic of Gilgamesh
Akeel Khreef
November 2022
بحثا عن الاهوار: ملحمة جلجامش
عقيل خريف
تشرين الثاني (نوفمبر) 2022


In Search of the Marshes: Disappearance of the Buffalo
Akeel Khreef
December 2022
بحثًا عن الأهوار: اختفاء الجاموس
عقيل خريف
ديسمبر 2022


In Search of the Marshes: Arrival of Rain
Akeel Khreef
January 2023
بحثًا عن الأهوار: وصول المطر
عقيل خريف
2023 يناير

In Search of the Marshes: The Buffalo of Chibaeesh
Akeel Khreef
February 2023
بحثا عن الأهوار: جاموس شبايش
عقيل خريف
فبراير 2023


In Search of the Marshes: Migration
Akeel Khreef
March 2023
البحث في الاهوار: الهجرة
عقيل خريف
مارس 2023


In Search of the Marshes: Speaking to the Reeds
Akeel Khreef
April 2023
بحثًا عن المستنقعات: التحدث إلى القصب
عقيل خريف
أبريل 2023


In Search of the Marshes: To Shroud a Boat
Akeel Khreef
May 2023
في البحث عن الأهوار: لتكفين قارب
عقيل خريف
مايو 2023


Encounters on the Tigris
Sherko Abbas
2022 - 2023
لقاءات على نهر دجلة
شاركو عباس
2022 - 2023
Hevdîtinên li ser Dîcleyê
Sherko Abbas
2022 - 2023


In Search of the Marshes: A Fish is Buried
Akeel Khreef
June 2023
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