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Witness History: The Destruction of Iraq's Marshes

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The Destruction of Iraq's Marshes

26/08/2015

BBC World Service - Witness History, The Destruction of Iraq's Marshes

A look at the destruction of southern Iraq's great marshes, overseen by Saddam Hussein.

History series. This episode looks at the destruction of southern Iraq's great marshes, the ancient homeland of the Marsh Arabs, where many believe writing and agriculture began.

In the early 1990s, Saddam Hussein ordered the draining of southern Iraq's great marshes. It was one of the biggest environmental disasters of the twentieth century, and with it, an ancient way of life - dating back thousands of years - was almost wiped out. We hear from the Iraqi environmentalist Azzam Alwash, who has been trying to restore the marshes, and to the journalist Shyam Bhatia, who saw the destruction.

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