IRAQ: Baghdad commuters turn to ancient tradition of ferries to avoid hazardous roads
Another workday draws to a close in Baghdad, and tired commuters gather on the banks of the Tigris to exchange small talk and wait for the ferryboats, a traditional way of traversing its silt-colored waters since Ottoman times.
"I inherited the job from my father, and now my sons are working with me," said Hamid Saleh, 58, who owns one of dozens of small boats that ferry travelers between Karkh, the western half of Baghdad, and Rusafa, its eastern side.
"After 2003, the job got better because people prefer to take the boat in order to avoid traffic jams," he said, "especially when an explosion happens, and there is also the danger of explosions at checkpoints."
