The marshlands of southern Iraq were once a lush, green water world inhabited by the Ma'dan, or Marsh Arabs. But when they supported opposition to Saddam Hussein in 1991, he drained the marshes, destroying an ecosystem and its inhabitants' way of life. What's left -- seen here near the Iranian border -- is just a fraction of what once was.
Azzam Alwash, an Iraqi American, has made it his mission to help revive the drained marshes and restore an area of the country where many biblical scholars have placed the Garden of Eden. Alwash gave Scott Pelley and the 60 Minutes team a tour by boat.
The reeds that grow in the marshes are a main source of income -- as well as the material houses and even small islands are made of.
Seen here is a "mudhif" -- a community meeting hall constructed entirely out of reeds.
reed workers
60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley, doing what in TV lingo is called a "stand up"
reed people
This elderly gentleman decided to join the 60 Minutes team and tagged along for the tour of the marshes.
Village homes, also built entirely from reeds.
cattle in southern iraq
Water is not only a necessity but also a way of life for the Ma'dan. When Hussein drained the marshes, the Marsh Arabs were forced to flee into the slums of Basra, Sadr City, and even across the border into neighboring Iran.
Now that the marshes are slowly being restored and coming back to life, the Ma'dan are also returning.
girl on a swing in southern iraq
Our 60 Minutes team was treated to an Iraqi delicacy: "masgouf." Seasoned fish is split open and exposed to a roaring fire.
women and flames, southern iraq
While our team was traveling in Iraq, temperatures were as high as 130 degrees Fahrenheit.
In order to get to the region, Scott Pelley and the team traveled in a C-130 plane from Baghdad to Talill military base.
Southern Iraq has a rich and long history. It's where the ancient city of Ur is located. Here, Ian Robbie, Scott Pelley, Jenny Dubin (in the front), Anton Van der Merwe and Chris Everson are sitting on the steps of a ziggurat.
Meanwhile, back in Baghdad, our team got the chance to visit Saddam Hussein's Al-Faw Palace, built right along a lake. The lake turns also turns out to be a good fishing spot.
60 Minutes producer Jenny Dubin "holds court" on one of Saddam's "thrones" at the Al-Faw Palace in Baghdad, Iraq.