Goodbye to the Mudhif

After four months of programming, it was time to say goodbye to the mudhif. The structure was rotting due to Houston’s humid climate and heavy rains.

We investigated many options of preserving the structure but realized that it would be very difficult to take it apart and move it to another location. Therefore, we decided that the most respectful way of saying goodbye was to take it apart and compost it so that the gift from the marshes of Iraq became part of the soil of Houston.

This project has been deeply meaningful to us and to many people in Houston. We hope that it helped illuminate an environmental/ecological crisis that is taking place in Iraq while also enlightening Houstonians about the plight of the Marsh Arabs, an endangered community that makes its home in the marshes.

Photo courtesy of Becky Lao