a building sitting on the edge of a body of water

The Mesopotamian Marshlands in modern day Southern Iraq. These reed houses and tribal halls known as "Mudhifs" were invented by the Ancient Sumerians, dating back to 3500 B.C. using the reed's that grow along the banks of the Tigris & Euphrates river. The Sumerians are the indigenous inhabitants of the Mesopotamian Marshlands and for the last 5,000 years these marshlands have been inhabited by the Iraqi Marsh Arab people, who are the direct descendant's of the Ancient Sumerians. Today, the Iraqi Marsh Arabs are the only people who know the ancient technique of building reed houses and Mudhifs.