Near Karbala, Iraq, circular wheat fields irrigated by groundwater are seen on April 10, 2025. These groundwater reserves are increasingly vital for mitigating agricultural losses from drought—a chronic issue in Iraq that is intensifying due to climate change.(Photo by Mohammed Sawaf/AFP Photo)
Buffaloes wade through the Chebayesh marsh in Iraq’s Dhi Qar province on April 18, 2025. Environmental experts report a decline in the southern marshlands’ buffalo population, a consequence of severe water shortages and shrinking habitats.(Photo by Alaa Al-Marjani/Reuters)
Workers restore the centuries-old shrine of Jewish Rabbi Isaac Gaon in Baghdad’s al-Kifah neighborhood on April 21, 2025. This project in a bustling district aims to revive the faded heritage of Iraq’s historic Jewish community.(Photo by Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP Photo)
A fisherman displays his catch on Iraq’s receding Hawizeh marshes, which straddle the Iranian border, on April 25, 2025. Proposed oil drilling in these protected Mesopotamian wetlands has mobilized villagers and activists to save the ecosystem already crippled by prolonged drought.(Photo by Asaad Niazi/AFP Photo)
The full moon rises behind a gymnast in silhouette in Erbil, Iraq, on May 12, 2025.(Photo by Ahsan Mohammed Ahmed Ahmed/Anadolu via Getty Images)
A youth photographs a restored 1940s DeSoto automobile on a street in Iskandariya, south of Baghdad, on May 27, 2025.(Photo by Karar Jabbar/AFP Photo)
Shiite worshippers gather at the golden-domed shrine of Imam Moussa al-Kadhim (8th century) in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 28, 2025.(Photo by Hadi Mizban/AP Photo)
Dancers from the Baghdad Ballet Academy perform at the University of Baghdad on May 30, 2025.(Photo by Hadi Mizban/AP Photo)
Thousands of dead fish cover the surface of the Ibn Najim marshes in Najaf, Iraq, on June 1, 2025. Initial reports attributed the mass die-off, which caused a foul odor and alarmed residents, to oxygen depletion rather than poisoning.(Photo by Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images)
A man inspects dead fish during a mass die-off at the Ibn Najm marsh northeast of Najaf, Iraq, on June 1, 2025. (Photo by Qassem Al-Kaabi/AFP Photo)
Livestock are displayed for sale at a market in Najaf, Iraq, on June 4, 2025, ahead of the Eid al-Adha festival.(Photo by Alaa al-Marjani/Reuters)
Shiite Muslim clerics shout slogans during a rally in Basra, Iraq, on June 18, 2025, protesting Israeli strikes on Iran. (Photo by Hussein Faleh/AFP Photo)
A drone view shows supporters of Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr gathering for Friday prayers in Basra, Iraq, on June 20, 2025, to protest airspace violations and denounce attacks on Iran amid the Iran-Israel conflict.(Photo by Mohammed Aty/Reuters)
A man inspects his abandoned house on the outskirts of Najaf, Iraq, on June 25, 2025. Farmers are being forced to abandon their lands and livelihoods as Iraq bans summer farming due to a deepening water crisis.(Photo by Alaa Al-Marjani/Reuters)
Shiite worshippers gather at the shrine of Imam Moussa al-Kadhim on the eve of the Islamic month of Muharram in Baghdad, Iraq, on June 26, 2025.(Photo by Hadi Mizban/AP Photo)
Shiite Muslims participate in a mourning ritual in Basra, Iraq, on the first night of Muharram, June 26, 2025. This marks the start of the ten-day period leading to Ashura, which commemorates the 7th-century martyrdom of Imam Hussein in Karbala.(Photo by Hussein Faleh/AFP Photo)
Shia Muslims commemorate Imam Hussein and his companions, martyred in the Battle of Karbala, during a ceremony in Baghdad, Iraq, on July 1, 2025. Participants recited elegies and lit torches in their honor as part of Muharram observances.(Photo by Murtadha Al-Sudani/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Shiite Muslims gather for a mourning ritual inside the Republic Mosque in Basra, Iraq, on July 2, 2025, to mark the martyrdom of Imam Hussein. Participants recite elegies and beat their chests in a traditional expression of grief.(Photo by Haidar Mohammed Ali/Anadolu via Getty Images)
People and their pets gather for the second annual “Cat Beauty Festival” in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, on July 2, 2025. The event, organized by the Royal Veterinary Hospital, aims to promote animal welfare and feline care.(Photo by Fariq Faraj Mahmood/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Shiite Muslims take part in a procession on the seventh day of Muharram in Nasiriyah, Iraq, on July 3, 2025. This day specifically commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas, who was killed while trying to fetch water for Imam Hussein’s besieged family at Karbala in 680 CE.(Photo by Asaad Niazi/AFP Photo)
