The Central Marshes and The West Hammar Marshes

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. The Central Marshes

   Between the Tigris and the Euphrates, in the far south of Iraq, lies a world of water, reeds and sky: the Mesopotamian Marshes, home for thousands of years to the Ma'dan, the Marsh Arabs, who build houses and great arched guest halls, the mudhif, entirely from reeds, travel by narrow boats called mashoof and keep herds of water buffalo. The Central Marshes are one of the main areas of this wetland, listed in 2016 with the archaeological cities of Ur, Uruk and Eridu as the Ahwar of Southern Iraq, a World Heritage Site that joins nature and the earliest cities of Sumer.

   Read the complete The Central Marshes write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   The Central Marshes is where the day begins. Next is The East Hammar Marshes.

2. 2. The East Hammar Marshes

   The marshes of southern Iraq are one of the strangest places on earth to find in a desert. Where the Tigris and Euphrates come together in their last stretch before the Persian Gulf, the land is so flat that the water spreads out instead of flowing, forming a maze of reed beds, shallow lagoons and channels, some of them wide enough for a boat and others narrow enough to touch both banks. The East Hammar is one of the great blocks of marsh that survives here, a wide mosaic of reed and open water lying east of the Euphrates and close to the Iranian border. UNESCO inscribed the Ahwar of Southern Iraq in 2016, as both a natural wonder and the home of a unique culture.

   Read the complete The East Hammar Marshes write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   The East Hammar Marshes comes up about 95 km into the recorded legs. Next is The West Hammar Marshes.

3. 3. The West Hammar Marshes

   The marshes of southern Iraq lie where the Tigris and Euphrates come together on their way to the Gulf, a vast network of reed beds, lagoons and channels that was, until recent decades, home to one of the oldest ways of life on earth. The West Hammar Marshes are the westernmost, south of the city of Nasiriyah, and this stop lies about fifteen kilometres from the small town of Al Fuhud. UNESCO inscribed the Ahwar of Southern Iraq in 2016, along with the ancient Sumerian cities of Ur, Uruk and Eridu, which stood on the edge of this same wetland.

   Read the complete The West Hammar Marshes write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 223 km into the recorded legs you reach The West Hammar Marshes. Next is back through The East Hammar Marshes.

4. 4. back through The East Hammar Marshes

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete The East Hammar Marshes write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through The East Hammar Marshes, late in the day. Next is The Central Marshes.

5. 5. The Central Marshes

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete The Central Marshes write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at The Central Marshes. That is the ride.