IRAQ, THE THIRST FOR LIFE | France 5 | Les Routes de l'Impossible

Iraq, long scarred by conflict, is recovering step by step. Behind the stigma of war lies a country of unprecedented human and cultural wealth, where the roads tell of the strength of those who refuse to give in to adversity. In the south, 40% of Iraq’s territory is a wind-beaten, sun-scorched desert. The Bedouins have lived here for centuries, adapting to extreme temperatures that sometimes approach 50 degrees. Hussein, a herder in the Samawa region, has a small herd of camels, his treasure, which he shares with his family. Despite the drought, he perpetuates an ancestral way of life. His son Turki, 15 years old, in turn becomes the guardian of this fragile balance: every day, he travels several kilometers by motorized tricycle to fill the water tank, with impressive determination but not without its pitfalls. Further south, at the mouth of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the majestic marshes of Mesopotamia, tamed for over two millennia, offer a unique landscape. Once drained by political decisions, these flooded lands are coming back to life thanks to the Maadans, the “people of the reeds”.

Navigating traditional pirogues in the heart of an aquatic labyrinth, they patiently rebuild a threatened ecosystem, between tradition, adaptation and cultural pride. In the north, the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan offer a completely different face. Hussein, a high-altitude farmer, criss-crosses the dizzying slopes every day to tend his terraced crops. Between precipices and landslides, his work bears witness to the indestructible bond between the Kurds and their land. Iraq is also a land of history: the dusty trails linking the ancient city of Babylon to the temple ruins of Uruk are as challenging as they are beautiful. Archaeologists and enthusiasts have to cross impassable terrain, but each step brings them a little closer to the origins of our civilization.