"Al-Mashhouf," the legend of the Marshlands

Maysan - INA

 The means of transportation in the marshes and rivers made of reeds or wood coated with limestone have many names, including Al-Mashhuf, Dunk, Tarrada, and Al-Kaad. Al-Mardi, and they are made of one of the types of wood that grows in the marshes and resembles a reed plant and is called (Jana). 
After the engines were made, many of the inhabitants of the marshes and the banks of the rivers used small motors that were made to be placed on a large palm called (ka'd) to facilitate movement instead of the mardi and al-Gharafa, which need a lot of effort when using them. 

Sumerian legacy
 The researcher and writer Jumah al-Maliki from the Al-Hoda Foundation for Studies says to the Iraqi News Agency (INA): 
 The types of abalam are made of wood according to precise engineering measurements that are mastered by the mushafir makers. 
After completing the wooden sections, the anchovies are coated with a bitumen material from the outside to prevent the penetration of water into it. 
And "he added," "the middle minnows (the cruiser) consists of three syllables, the first is called the chest, after it the middle, and then the last one is called the front and the back of the mashhuf is called the lanugo.
Al-Maliki added that "the mashuf is the main means of transportation for the inhabitants of the marshes and the banks of the rivers, so the inhabitant of these areas cannot do without it. In some rural houses there are more than one palm of various types, including for hunting and another for bringing animal hashish, as well as one devoted to go to the markets and one of the most beautiful uses of mushafs when they share The sons of the marshes or the neighboring villages in the bride's wedding, this is a view that cannot be surpassed by a view of joy and beauty.
The researcher called on the relevant government agencies to "take care of the marshes and preserve their areas, so that the legacy of Sumer would remain with us, and the mashof with its coquettishness would remain lofty, as it is like fish that do not live and do not rise without water."

 The minnows industry disappears

The historian Ali Al-Aqabi from the book and historian Al-Majar Al-Kabir said to the Iraqi News Agency, (INA):
The boat industry in Iraq was closely linked with the waters of both the Tigris and the Euphrates, as it was considered the first means of transportation for the population of Iraq before five thousand years BC, as the abundance of water in these two rivers Boats have made them a medium for fishing and birds, and for moving between the banks of rivers or for hiking.

And that "the receding of water in recent times has made this historical craft drift towards the abyss of extinction, but some of its makers are resisting the decline of this heritage industry, despite their number that is declining day after day." 

Gilgamesh and Noah

boats differ in their shapes and sizes, as well as in their uses and materials made from them, but there is a whole civilization that began with the beginning of the history of Iraq, and the events that this craft descended from.