RESILIENT REEDS

The mudhif building style originated with the development of floating island infrastructure, called tuhul. 042 This socio-ecological system was developed at the convergence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers around 4000 BCE by the Ma’dan people, which translates to “dweller in the plains.”043 The marshlands span across Southern Iraq, Southwestern Iran, and parts of Kuwait.044 The tuhul has four primary construction phases: first, an area of reeds in the marsh are enclosed in a perimeter reflecting the size of the future island. Then, layers of reed and mud are overlaid and interwoven onto the enclosed area. Next, additional layers are added to the pre-existing floor structure to create a more permanent footing. Finally, structures are added to the island’s structure.045 This cultural keystone species of the region provides structure for architecture, flour for bread, and even fodder for local water buffalo.046

024 | Giant Reed, Qasab

The Ma’dan people employ a technique utilizing local qasab reeds, phragmites communis, which are bound, impaled in the floating islands base structure, and bent to form parabolic arches.047 048 Once the thick, bundled parabolic arches of reeds are stabilized, crossbeams of thinner bundles are laid across to connect the structural arches. The structure is then overlaid with mats for protection against the elements.049 The mats are woven in a specific motif and pattern to allow cool air to infiltrate the interior environment in addition to filtered daylight.050 The smallest of the mudhif structures are built with seven arches while the largest are built with eleven, often all of these structures face Mecca, emphasizing the Islamic traditions of the region.051 In addition to utilizing local materials in an ingenious and environmentally supportive way, the Ma’dan people also cannibalize previous architecture when rebuilding or restructuring an island or mudhif.052

027 | Completed Mudhif Structure

Reed construction such as the mudhif is an ingenious utilization of local materials which are not often viewed as structural. However, with the binding and drying methods employed in the marshes of the Tigris and Euphrates river, these structures provide proper shelter from the elements. Although applying this strategy to modern architecture and design may be difficult due to structural codes and control of the interior thermal environment, the binding and bending method has greatly informed current practices and should be studied in more detail to achieve a greater understanding of local materials and environmental and design synthesis. Additionally, the Ma’dan as a culture and society have been thriving in a water-based infrastructure system for thousands of years. Their culture works seamlessly with the surrounding environment and continues to positively influence that ecosystem. In order to develop carbon negative and sustainable water based societies, the Ma’dan culture needs to be studied in depth, as they offer much indigenious and invaluable knowledge on this topic.