Life on the Tigris: Baghdad ferries make a post-war comeback

World
Europe

03:03

The war in Iraq saw business for ferries on the Tigris River drop sharply. Some of the boats even fell into disuse, but now people are finding they want to take a ride on the old vessels again. And it's not only for nostalgic reasons.

The Tigris river runs through Baghdad and separates the city into two halves. Ferrymen, a profession as ancient as fishermen, have been active on the river for over a thousand years. Shaker is one of them.

BASSEM ALI SHAKER TIGRIS FERRYMAN "The ferry dock is very old. My grandparents said it was here that they were born. Only through oral stories or old pictures did we learn about the past of this place."

For a long time, ferries were the main form of transportation over the Tigris. The boats used to be bigger, carrying more passengers. Although bridges were built one after another, ferry boats were more like a lifestyle on this "river of life".

BASSEM ALI SHAKER TIGRIS FERRYMAN "The Shorja and Arab markets used to exist only in Rusafa across the river. People get on board not only for crossing but for leisure, scenery and relaxation. They preferred the ferry boats although there're bridges close by."

During the war, riversides were torn, and few people used boats to travel. Everyone was too busy struggling to remember there were still ferries buried under the smoke. Shaker sometimes had to wait more than an hour to finally have a customer.

BASSEM ALI SHAKER TIGRIS FERRYMAN "There were many more passengers before the war. And it was just OK for a little time after that. But then business around here mostly went broke. The parking on this side was also closed."

Post-war Baghdad saw serious destruction of roads and bridges, the land transportation greatly slowed. Out of security concerns, the military set up checkpoints on almost every one of the paths, making the traffic jam even more serious. It was at this time that people began to think about ferries again.

BASSEM ALI SHAKER TIGRIS FERRYMAN "You can see the traffic jam is serious there. People could spend 3 hours getting to work, but ferry boats can make a return trip in 5 minutes."

The charge for every passenger is 1 US dollar. If Shaker makes more than 10 trips a day, he can get a fair income. The low level of the Tigris ironically makes for an advantage as it makes it easier to control the boat. The number of ferry docks has rebounded to over 50, and there are even some tourist boats again, just like the good old days.

BASSEM ALI SHAKER TIGRIS FERRYMAN "We now have docks on Muta-nab-bi Street. Boats will be there every Friday. A lot of people enjoy the boats, even specifically asking for an old wooden one to travel back and forth. I think this profession will not disappear."

Compared with his fisherman friend, Shaker felt lucky that he could maintain his job as a ferryman. The 2 ancient professions are facing different destinies, but their love for the Tigris remains.

BASSEM ALI SHAKER TIGRIS FERRYMAN "Love, love and love. We consider ourselves fish in the river. We can't go elsewhere, can't do other jobs. If a fish leaves the water, it will die."