Salt has long played a role in Mesopotamian civilizations. The Assyrians used it as a weapon against enemies, sprinkling it on the heads of residents in the cities they conquered as a symbol of the curse that had befallen them.
In “The Story of Civilization,” American author, philosopher and historian William James Durant wrote about Assyrian King Ashurbanipalon's offensive against Elam. Ashurbanipalon is quoted as saying, “I devastated the provinces of Elam and on their lands I sowed salt.” The Babylonian epic of Atrahasis remarks on the prevalence of the color white in the fields of ancient Mesopotamia, referring to the presence of salt.
Issam Kazim, an Iraqi merchant who imports foodstuffs including salt from Iran, told Al-Monitor that “the salt industry is still primitive” despite the long history of salt in Mesopotamia. “The Iraqi market is full of imported salt from neighboring countries, which has had an effect on the Bedouin and farmers' primitive extraction, as it has become limited due to the foreign competition. This has caused them to relinquish these jobs, which generate a small amount of money. The remuneration is not commensurate with the effort they are making.”
Hassan al-Kallabi is a social researcher and health worker at the Hamza al-Gharbi Hospital, which serves communities of farmers and Bedouins. Speaking to Al-Monitor about the health problems that salt collectors face, he said, “They suffer from cracked, dry skin and rheumatic disease because their feet remain in salt water for a long period of time.”
Kallabi added, “They do not wear gloves or protect their feet to prevent injuries. The risk they are under is their own fault and stems from their lack of awareness regarding the health hazards of the job.”
Kallabi said salt lakes could be used to heal skin diseases, but he advocates the development of local salt production to meet Iraqis’ needs and use of local salt in the pharmaceutical and food industries, such as for antacids and medical salts and in the meat and dairy industries and tanneries.
Iraq annually imports salt worth $250 million, though it has one of the largest salt ponds in the world. It seems a viable idea to invest in the country's salt industry to further the economy.
(Salt harvesting image via Shutterstock)
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