WHAT: The Mudhif, a replica of a 5,000-year-old reed structure in Mesopotamia and the centerpiece of Archaeology Now’s Senan Shaibani Marsh Arabs Project, will be deconstructed and demolished on Saturday, Dec. 9 at Rice University by Mimbres Trees and Debris Services. They will bring a 30-foot container with a huge grappling hook on one end to take the structure apart.
The components of the Mudhif will then be transported for to the Evergro Organic Recycling center in Crosby for composting, returning the reeds back to nature to benefit the earth. The Mudhif will live on through this composting process. Composting is a controlled, aerobic (oxygen-required) process that converts organic materials into a nutrient-rich soil amendment or mulch through natural decomposition.
(Note: The reed components of the Mudhif were transported from the marshes of Iraq to Houston in a shipping container on the U.S.S. San Antonio back in June and assembled onsite at Rice University.)
WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 9 at 9 a.m. until approximately 9:30 a.m.
(Note: If another trip is needed, this will be between 11 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. – Recommended to come at 9 a.m., just in case)
WHERE: Moody Center for the Arts
Rice Campus: Entrance #8, University Boulevard and Stockton Street
Link to map here.
PARKING: You should be able to park in the small lot behind Moody and the Mudhif. When you enter on Stockton, turn right past the Moody, then right again to the lot. There is also paid parking at West Lot 5 near the site.
VISUALS:
- The demolition of the Mudhif, a replica of a 5,000-year-old reed house from the marshes of Mesopotamia
INTERVIEWS:
- Becky Lao, Executive Director, Archaeology Now
Link to video here
Credit: Eli Johns-Krull
Link to high resolution photos here
Link to web resolution photos here
Photo credit: Heather McAdoo