Iraqis Snub Dentists for Miracle Tree

Zheeno Ahmed recited the first chapter of the Koran as she hammered a nail into the trunk of the tree, convinced that the ritual would heal her sore tooth.



"This is my fifth time here," said the 19-year-old Erbil resident. "Whenever one of my teeth starts to decay or aches, I come here and it helps me. Some have healed."



Ahmed is among hundreds who rely not on medicine or dentists to cure their aches and pains, but rather what has become known as the Nail Tree, located in the Sarban mountain range 30 kilometres north of the Kurdish capital Erbil.



The tree, which measures about three metres high with a circumference of about 2.5 metres, is pocked with nails hammered in by people who believe in its power to cure toothaches. It is so full now that there are even nails in its branches.



"People come from all over to visit the Nail Tree," said Mohammed Nimet, the 24-year-old owner of a small shop in front of the tree, which sells kilos of nails to visitors. "They come from cities in Iraqi Kurdistan, Turkey, Iran and southern Iraq. Some of them come to heal their dental problems, some come to see the famous tree and others to visit the holy site."



The tree lies on what is believed to be a holy man's grave in an area largely inhabited by Sufis, who follow a sect of Islam known for its rituals and mysticism.



Qasim Mazhar, 82, one of the top scholars of the Qadiri Sufi order in the area, said the site is undoubtedly connected to a pious man, but its exact history is unknown as there is no gravestone. One theory is that the tree, which locals estimate to be about 150 years old, sits on the grave of a man named Younis Abu-Fatih, a friend of the Prophet Mohammed who some speculate was martyred at the site.



But no one can say why people believe the tree can heal problem teeth.



Locals - there are about 35 families from the Harki tribe in the village - say the tree is an important part of their history. "Our fathers and forefathers since long ago considered [it] sacred,” said Mohammed Abdi Aziz, a spokesman for the village. “They fought for it several times with the Turks, with the British. We've lost 42 men in these battles to defend the tree.



"Our village could be destroyed, our children slaughtered, but the Nail Tree would be safe."



Hussein Seesa Aziz, a 75-year-old villager, is one of many who attest to the power of the site. He recounts one tale in which a shepherd tried to set fire to the tree, and the next day he lost 42 sheep when they were attacked by wolves. The shepherd later died of a strange abdominal pain.



Others have laid items at the base of the tree to keep them safe, he said. The cottage of a man who stole these personal effects caught fire.



Many conflicts in the village have also been resolved under the tree, according to Hussein.



Dentists, however, are not among the believers. Friyad Kamal, a practitioner in Erbil, says the tree has hurt his business and worries that people may be neglecting their teeth by putting all of their faith in such an unscientific cure.



"To some extent it is our fault because we have been negligent [in treatment] but not all dentists are alike," said Kamal.



Many of the faithful are poorly educated and superstitious - but there are some exceptions.



Suad Malik, a 28-year-old Arabic language graduate from the University of Mosul in northwestern Iraq, said that during her pregnancy, she came to hammer 32 nails into the tree for her unborn child. "My mother came to this tree and tapped some nails in it," she said. "That's why everyone in my family has nice and healthy teeth."



Dilshad Kawani is an IWPR trainee journalist in Erbil.