The Iraqi marshes cover a 10,000 km²-large area between the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers, stretching from Kut in the north to Basra in the south. There are numerous shallow lagoons dotted around the vast expanse of marshland. The area is home to many different bird species.

The Marsh Arabs who inhabit the area build houses known as sarifas. Those dwellings are constructed of reeds with elaborate latticework entrances. The main means of transportation through the reedy waterways is a long, slim canoe, known as a mashuf. It is thought that the inhabitants' ancestors lived this same way as far as 6,000 years ago.