Ankara, Turkey July 8, 2023 My disappointment in not being able to see Catalhoyuk vanished in a heartbeat as soon as I stepped into this section of the Museum of Anatolian Civilization in Ankara. There it is! The model of one of the rooms – I had only seen the drawing in the museum in … More Life in Catalhoyuk
Konya, Turkey July 5, 2023 It seems like the city of a thousand mosques, so many are they, around every corner, of all ages. Known to the Greeks as Iconium, most know Konya as the home of the poet Rumi. His final resting place is the mausoleum and it is this turquoise tomb that many … More In the City of Dervishes
Mosul, Iraq June 24, 2023 Taken over by ISIS on June 10, 2014, Mosul was liberated after more than three long years on July 21 2017 by allied forces of the Iraqi, Peshmerga and foreign troops. The ravages wrought by ISIS still remain, a stark reminder of the horrors of those years. Their brutal occupation … More From the Ravages of War
Qaragosh, Kurdistan June 22, 2023 From glory days of a powerful empire to the ignominy of present day is the tale of the peoples who claim descent from the Assyrians. They converted to Christianity in the early days of the religion and have a long and bitter history of persecution. Quite by chance, in chatting … More Where Have the Assyrians Gone?
Mosul, Iraq June 20, 2023 Having slowly made my way north, it is no surprise that I wanted to see the sites of the Assyrian empire – at least the ones not destroyed by ISIS. Nimrud I had read was flattened as were large parts of Nineveh. Ashur and Hatra (of the later age of … More Glory Days of Nineveh
Kifrki, Kurdistan June 19, 2023 Undaunted by our traipse over what most would call dirt hills, Lynne was game for yet more spots off the tourist trail. I had read about the Halamata Cave, especially the Assyrian bas-relief carvings dating from Sennacherib, son of Sargon II that are still in place on the sheer face … More In Search of Elusive Sculptures
Baghdad, Iraq June 14, 2023 Having traveled in the neighboring countries before, I knew well the hospitality of the people in this part of the world. I have tales aplenty in Iran, in Turkey and in Central Asia where I have been befriended, helped and invited home. In Iraq it was the degree of … More Kindness of Strangers
Nasiriya, Iraq June 10, 2023 Iraq has no buses between its cities, nor bus routes within its cities. Between cities the options are shared vans seating seven passengers or shared taxis taking four. They all leave from a station(s) called “garage” and have no fixed departure times, but leave when full. I had been traveling … More Train Travel in Iraq
LAGASH Nasiriyah, Iraq June 9, 2023 This was yet another site I wanted to visit but one obscure enough that not even the locals knew about it. I went to the Department of Antiquities housed in the museum in Nasiriya and was greeted by the Head with welcome. My genuine interest in the ancient sites … More Cradle of Civilization IV
UR Nasiriyah, Iraq June 8, 2023 Of all the sites, Ur was the simplest to access. Ali, who is from Nasiriyah has never been there and he had rounded up yet another friend, Mohammed who also had never been. A short 10 kms from Nasiriyah, this was simple to get to and being firmly on … More Cradle of Civilization III
ITCHY FEET TRAVELS 