A 10-week, 1200-mile journey
Between the 17th March and 26th May 2021, our small team, led by Emily Garthwaite and Leon McCarron, travelled for 70 days along the full length of the Tigris river. It was conceived as a journey in three parts, from highlands to foothills to flood plain. We journeyed with local experts and friends through southern Turkey, north-east Syria and the entire length of Iraq to hear the stories of the river, as told by those who live on its banks.
The waters of the Tigris fed the earliest civilisations on earth, and our quest was for the enduring aspects of the river - the culture and heritage that have survived for millennia. We experienced the beauty and depth of history, but also saw clearly the impact of past decades of conflict, and the environmental and geopolitical threats that are so present in the region.
At each step, we listened to those that they met in order to document both the singular heritage and sometimes fragile reality. It was the first time anyone has travelled the length of the river since the Ottoman era.
Key Characters
Leon McCarron:
Writer and adventurer, working in Iraq since 2016. Co-founder of a long-distance hiking trail in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Emily Garthwaite:
British photojournalist and artist based between Akre and Erbil in the Kurdistan region, and passionate about the culture and heritage of Iraq. Involved in the expedition from the outset. See more of Emily’s work here, and news on upcoming exhibitions of her work in Iraq.
Claudio von Planta:
A Swiss filmmaker with decades of experience in Iraq. Best known for filming Long Way Round with Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman.
Angel Istek:
Kurdish fixer, journalist and interpreter from south-east Turkey.
Bişar Içli:
River expert in Diyarbakır. Also an organic farmer and jack of all trades.
Salman Khairalla:
Environmental activist and co-founder of Iraqi NGO Humat Dijla.
Spent much of the past decade travelling to places located on
Iraq’s waterways to train and empower local communities.
Hana Ibrahim:
Iraqi translator and activist, with a passion for abandoned animals
and environmental campaigning.
Ali Al-Kharki:
Environmental activist and co-founder of Humat Dijla.
Below are a selection of images from the journey, taken by Emily Garthwaite, Claudio von Planta, and Leon McCarron. Some also appear in the plates section of wounded tigris.
