the end of eden
The Mandean people hold strongly to tradition. A ancient religion and a minority in Iraq, they hold John the Baptist in high regard, and seek to emulate him through daily baptisms and his simple choice of clothing.
Decades ago, the Mandeans were still numerous in Iraq, but after Iraq's wars with Iran and the United States, many of them fled. The remaining few, tasked with upholding their traditions, are struggling to keep the faith.
The Shatt al Arab (the resulting river after the Tigris and Euphrates come together) is polluted, sometimes too much to baptize. They have no designated land on the river from which to practice, something that community leaders are fighting to change. Extreme heat and dust storms have grown steadily worse, making it harder each year to maintain their traditions.
Yet at least once a year, for the Mandean New Year, prior to locking themselves in their homes for a cleansing period, the Mandeans of Basra gather on the Shatt al Arab and baptize together.
Photographed for Harpers Magazine
A Mandaean young man named Ram gathers branches from a Myrtle tree in preparation for the Mandean New Year baptism ceremony.
Some days, the Shatt al Arab river is too polluted for the believers to baptize. In those cases, they make their way to the Mandi, to the indoor baptismal.
A Mandaean man points out names on a family tree, showing his lineage going back hundreds of years, centuries of keeping traditions.
A farmer on the east side of the Shatt al Arab, opposite the city of Basra, tells of how the land used to be fertile and profitable - and how increasing heat and pollution has changed their ways of life.
Branches from a Myrtle tree sit at the riverside, waiting for Mandaean worshippers to use in the baptismal process.
Ghazi, a Mandaean community leader and Mazin, a Mandaean tarmida (religious leader) walk into the river to cleanse themselves before beginning to baptize others.
Mandaean boys and men grasp a cross covered in a cloth of pure cotton and Myrtle branches.
Mandaean boys and men seek shelter from the 120* sun, waiting for the baptism ceremony to begin, while factories pump out smoke and waste in the background. Believers dress in only natural items of clothing for the ceremony: hand woven cotten.
Mandaean families gather containers to use for the baptism process - only natural items can be used, and only natural food can be consumed afterwords.
Mazin, the religious leader of the Mandaean community in southern Iraq prays in his ceremonial clothing prior to baptizing a few dozen followers. In previous decades, when water was cleaner and followers were less persecuted, the New Year baptism ceremony drew thousands of believers.
A fresh caught fish lays on the banks of the Shatt al Arab, to be grilled and eaten after the baptism. The purpose of the New Year baptism ceremony is to be completely cleansed, and consuming only natural food is part of this ritual.
A Mandaean woman holds up a cloth for privacy, so another woman can be baptized separate from the men.
A cloth depicting paradise, Basra as locals saw it decades ago, hangs in the window of a local military establishment.