The Ghosts of Iraq’s Marshes

Excerpt from Chapter 1: Organizing the NEtherworld

 “One day, a shadow sneaked up behind me and hit my head violently, leaving me badly injured. I no longer walk straight and feel like the ghost still haunts my body.” 

Haider al-Hatemi (former gravedigger), 2019[1]

Wadi-us-Salaam, or the Valley of Peace, in the holy city of Najaf, is the largest cemetery in the world. It covers over six square kilometres and contains millions of bodies. Najaf is also the burial place of Ali ibn Abu Talib, Prophet Mohammed’s cousin and son-in-law and the first Shi’a caliph. Shi’a from across the globe want to be buried at this venerable site. Many who work in Wadi-us-Salaam believe the cemetery also houses ghosts, called tantals. Some, like Haider al-Hatemi, have even been attacked by them.

There are many supernatural creatures in Arabic and Islamic folklore. Many inhabit the underworld and have an amorphous character: they can be evil in one context and good in another. At one extreme are the Shaitan (Shaytan) who are evil spirits that try to lead humans astray. They are invisible devils who manifest evil. Djinn (Jinn) are more ambiguous. They are generally considered to be malevolent ghosts but can, on occasion, be benevolent intermediary spirits as well, like the genie in The Thousand and One Nights. Djinn seem to occupy a middle space between humans and angels/demons. Afrit (ifrit) are demons that have been formed from smoke and fire. They live in a subterranean world and while they are not fundamentally evil, they are often considered spirits of the dead. Some believe them an evil type of djinn, and the Quran usually refers to them as “ifrit of the djinn.”

Tantals are different from the afrit and djinn, and they generally act as protectors of sacred places rather than evil spirits. But not always. As Haider found out when one bashed him over the head, you ignore tantals at your peril. 

There are occasions when a tantal acts more like a practical joker. In Aamir Naqqash’s novel, Tantal, the child in his story becomes obsessed with seeing and touching the tantal. He wants to know for certain that it is real. He dreams about the tantal and speaks with others who have seen it. One day, he is walking along the seashore as the light of day is fading and he meets a giant. The giant becomes playful and tries to entice him into the water, but the boy runs away. When he returns home, he realizes the giant was a tantal. His dreams unfold before him and he understands that the tantalis something real, and also something that is not real. It is a moment of being that lasts a lifetime.

The roots of the character al-tantal date from the same period as the Babylonian creation myth Enuma Elish, where Enlil, the god of wind, air, earth, and storms, unleashes the great flood in southern Mesopotamia after people became too noisy. The Biblical version says that God flooded the earth because human beings were corrupt. Whether it was noise or corruption doesn’t make much difference; a great flood occurred that devastated towns and cities in southern Mesopotamia.

The flood myth told by the Ma’dan – the people who live in the Mesopotamian Marshes and tend water buffalo - is slightly different from better-known versions. According to the Ma’dan, in ancient times there were three large kingdoms in southern Mesopotamia: Al-Aker, Abu Shathar, and Hafeez. They were built on large islands (eshan) that rose high above the wetlands in the north of the Central Marsh, one of three major wetlands in southern Iraq. The kingdoms had beautiful architecture, with curved, ornate temples adorned with gold and jewels. Strong fences, or masnyat, were built around the cities to protect them from floods. These were ringed by palm groves and fruit trees. It was God’s paradise on earth, and life flourished there. When the people became disobedient, corrupt, and noisy, God got very angry and caused a massive earthquake that destroyed the kingdoms. This was followed by a flood to rid the world of all people, save one immortal being.

To protect the ancient cities and their treasures, God sent down fairies and tantals to guard them. Tantal Hafeez lives on Eshan Hafeez, also known as Hufaidh, protecting the gold and relics. On some nights, fires can be seen appearing as distant lights emanating from Eshan Hafeez. But no one approaches. Not anymore. A group of Ma’dan went to explore the source of the light one night and all were found dead the next day. Another resident admitted he had explored EshanHafeez, but when he tried to leave with some antiquities he was struck by lightning and his hand was severed. Those who have visited Eshan Hafeez – and survived – are unable to find it again. 

Other explanations exist for the fires on al-Eshan. When reeds and aquatic plants decompose, they release methane gas, which can ignite and rise high in the sky. And some Ma’dan set fire to dry reeds in winter to allow for young, green grass to grow, which is then eaten by buffalo and cows. But no one can explain the lights on Eshan Hafeez. And no one dares to find out.

There are many sites in the Marshes known as al-Eshan, all of which contain pottery, glassware, coins, gold pieces, and statues that date to the Sumerians, Akkadians, and others. Tantals watch over them all, but only one is guarded by Tantal Hafeez. 

The Ma’dan often build their reed houses on al-Eshan, since the higher ground offers some protection from the periodic extreme floods that can destroy villages. The support structures for the reed houses are large arches of woven reeds called al-Shebab. The reeds are tied together with palm fibres. As is tradition with the gods, there are always an odd number of al Shebab; as few as five or as many as twenty-seven. Ancient artifacts are often discovered when digging the holes for the al Shebab. But no one dares build on Eshan Hafeez.

Confronting a tantal anywhere in the Marshes can be risky. They have been known to cause deformities, disabilities, and insanity to those who encounter them. But they have also developed friendships with the Ma’dan and their buffalo. Grilled rice bread (henaya) without salt is often given as a peace offering to the tantals by the Ma’dan. Tantals aren’t afraid of much, but they dislike needles, stitching, and any machine made of iron. Once its face is exposed to humans, a tantal quickly recedes back into the marshes.

Jassim al-Asadi’s mother constantly warned him about tantals when he was a young teenager. During the day, they are rarely a problem. At night, it is a different story.

Jassim often ventured out on Friday nights to meet his friends at a local coffee shop and watch Iraqi wrestler Adnan Al-Kaissey (also known as Billy White Wolf in professional wrestling circles) on one of the few black-and-white televisions in town. 

“To get there, I had to walk across the river and patches of marsh, known hiding places for tantals,” Jassim said. “Before crossing the water, I would remove my clothes and place them on my head to keep them dry and put them back on when I reached the other side. The trip always frightened me. Memories of those nights still send a chill down my spine.”

 Jassim was fortunate. Although he would hear their moans on occasion as he waded through the marshes, the tantals remained hidden. 

[1] Al Jazeera, 10 September 2019