The village of Al-Sarkhia, "Venice of Iran", which many do not know

Mohammad Rehmanpour-Iran

The Italian city of Venice, where boats are used to navigate its alleyways, streets and world-class tourist attractions, has long been heard, but few people have heard of the Iranian village of Sarkakh, also known as Venice, for its inhabitants to use boats to navigate.

The village of al-Sarkakhiya is located in the southwestern province of Khuzestan, between an oasis called Shadakan, 110 km from Ahvaz, and Khorramshahr, 65 km from the Iraqi border.

Tourist village
Al-Sarkakhiya is a tourist village in the region, and its residents travel between its streets and alleys and reach the neighboring villages through boats called "Balam", and is visited annually by thousands of tourists to tour and in the oasis of Hor Shadgan (called Hor Peasant or beaker).

The Shadegan is a UNESCO registered as the most important water oasis in Iran.It combines salt and fresh water and is fed by the surgical and Karon rivers and the tides in the Gulf.It is estimated at 400 thousand hectares and includes various types of plants, animals and birds.

Arabs make up the majority of the local population in Sakhra and its surrounding cities. Most of the city's residents speak Arabic, working in fishing, breeding buffaloes, selling birds and industries, as well as tour guides.

The village's chief mayor, Adil Kamli, says the village is besieged with water from all sides. It has become a peninsula with about 700,000 inhabitants, about 5,000 of whom work in fishing in the Hor Shadgan oasis, which is famous for producing brown fish exported to Iraq.

Village activity
Kamli explains that the water level in the Shadgan oasis usually falls in summer and rises in winter, and that the depth ranges between one and a half and two meters depending on the region, but the level has increased this year more than usual due to floods that hit the area, which led to the entry of water to Houses.

He adds that most people live on cattle rearing, dairy industry and fishing, but the village is currently suffering from illegal fishermen who use generators to fish, making the lives of local people here at risk.

Life in the village of al-Sarkhiya is still traditional. Video games and modern telephones are not in the hands of children.

The beginning of autumn and spring is one of the best times to visit the village of Sarakhia and neighboring villages, while it is not recommended to visit in the summer because of high temperatures and humidity.

Tourist route
Touring the village's alleys and in the oasis of Shadgan, the tourist enjoys watching birds and buffaloes in the water, fishing, swimming, crossing between reeds and relaxing away from the noise of the city.He can visit the Freedom Museum and acquire handicraft crafts made of wool or reeds.

Residents of al-Sarkakhiya do not prefer to use motorboats because the buffaloes are disturbed by their sound and drive birds out, prompting people and tourists to use boats to travel or walk in the land area of ​​the village.

The visitor must taste the marsh dessert because of its therapeutic benefits in the treatment of the colon and stomach.

Interest
The village needs government attention because of its environmental threats such as oil pollution, sewage influx, factories, drought and illegal fishing, and is waiting for support for tourism promotion and strengthening its position on the tourist map to become more famous in Iran and abroad.

Residents of the village of Al-Sarkhiya hope that the water will be cleared of pollution and hope that the dolphins will reappear in their waters to enjoy the view. The village will return to its previous era full of animals and birds that are now threatened with extinction.