Spotlight on Photography: Discover the Marshes of Iraq in a Visual Story by Wilfred Thesiger
November/December 1966
As we celebrate the 75th anniversary of AramcoWorld this year, we are looking back at some of the memorable and visual story spreads in the magazine. In the past, AramcoWorld has written about the cultural impact of a simple reed hut like those in the marshes of Iraq and built recently in Houston, Texas. That journey really began in 1964, with the publishing of Wilfred Thesiger’s book The Marsh Arabs. His travelogue connected the world to a culture and people few had known or experienced. AramcoWorld amplified that connection in the November/December 1966 issue with the story "In the Marshes of Iraq."
“… then I realized that I was looking at great reedbeds. A slim black, high-prowed craft lay beached at my feet—the sheikh’s war canoe, waiting to take me into the Marshes. Before the first palaces were built at Ur, men had … launched a canoe like this and gone hunting here. … Five thousand years of history were here and the pattern was still unchanged.”
— Wilfred Thesiger, The Marsh Arabs
You may also be interested in...
Spotlight on Photography: Explore Moroccan Zellige (Zillij) Tilework in Fez With Peter Sanders
Arts
In patterns and refractions, the old city of Fez, Morocco, comes to life through the geometric tile works known as zillij. In 2001, AramcoWorld commissioned photographer Peter Sanders to tell the story of a family who for five generations has added new dimensions to art and architecture.
Ramadan Picnic Photograph by Zoshia Minto
Arts
On a warm June evening, people gathered at a park in Bethesda, Maryland, for a community potluck dinner welcoming the start of Ramadan.
Find Ramadan Lanterns on Cairo's Streets with John Feeney
Arts
In the March/April 1992 issue, writer and photographer John Feeney took AramcoWorld readers on a walk through the streets of Cairo during Ramadan.