ARCHEOLOGY OF ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA

READINGS:

• A very good SUMMARY.
• REPORT on current state of the ruins.

THE KINGS: FROM BABYLON TO BAGHDAD

A 5-part History Channel MINISERIES detailing the rulers of Mesopotamia. "The history of Iraq has been written in blood. Ancient kings leading the world's first armies were interested in one thing only, total domination. Iraq's history comes to life through compelling dramatic recreations of events; captivating photography of the land and archeological artifacts; and interviews with experts who are notable historians, scholars and policy makers."

SAVING BABYLON

An excellent ARTICLE in Travel & Leisure magazine: "Just to pass Babylon that first time was a thrill. The Pyramids, Angkor, Machu Picchu, and the Parthenon—none of them became ideas as well as places, or did as much as Babylon to shape so much of the subsequent world. Fifty miles south of Baghdad, in a province still called Babil, the ghosts of Hammurabi and Nebuchadnezzar are there today, waiting out their thousandth war where the latest round of empires, dynasties, and faiths inscribe their stories on the dusty floodplain of central Iraq."

BABIL PROVINCE NEWS

Chamber of Commerce wants to build a mall. View>

USAID LOCAL GOVERNANCE PROGRAM LGPIII

The program is designed to build the capacity and strengthen the performance of local government institutions to represent citizen priorities and create a more responsive public administration through planning for public investment in the provinces, executing the provincial budgets, and holding service providers accountable. A GUIDE to the Provincial Development Strategy. A NEWS RELEASE explaining the Provincial Reconstruction Teams.

BAGDAD MUSEUM OPENS

NY TIMES ARTICLE (Feb 09): "Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki pushed to reopen the museum, against the advice of his own Culture Ministry, as a sign of Iraqi progress. Symbol it was, and symbol it remains — not only of how much Iraq has improved, but of how far it has to go."

KIRKUK set for tourism.

BABYLON REDISCOVERED SLIDESHOW

An excellent NY TIMES SLIDESHOW reviewing the tourism condition of the Babylon ruins.

BABYLON OPENS TO CONTROVERSY

NY TIMES ARTICLE (May 09)
"BABYLON, Iraq — After decades of dictatorship and disrepair, Iraq is celebrating its renewed sovereignty over the Babylon archaeological site — by fighting over the place, over its past and future and, of course, over its spoils. What was clear during his tour was that nothing had been done to prepare the place for its official opening, now scheduled for June 1. No gates or fences prevent rambunctious tourists from rambling over ruins that can crumble like sand. The site’s shops, cafe and museum remain abandoned, shuttered and dusty."

THE HANGING GARDENS

National Geographic: "The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Iraq
The hanging gardens are said to have stood on the banks of the Euphrates River in modern-day Iraq, although there's some doubt as to whether they ever really existed. The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II supposedly created the terraced gardens around 600 B.C. at his royal palace in the Mesopotamian desert. It is said the gardens were made to please the king's wife, who missed the lush greenery of her homeland in the Medes, in what is now northern Iran. Archaeologists have yet to agree on the likely site of the hanging gardens, but findings in the region that could be its remains include the foundations of a palace and a nearby vaulted building with an irrigation well. The most detailed descriptions of the gardens come from Greek historians. There is no mention of them in ancient Babylonian records."

NG CULTURAL ASSESSMENT OF S IRAQ

National Geographic Article (May 2003) assessing heritage sites in southern Iraq. "Babylon: The dominant metropolis of the lower alluvium for almost two millennia, from just after 2000 B.C. until just before our era, Babylon has been partly reconstructed using plans made by German excavators a century ago. Recently, it has become a popular destination for Iraqi tourists. We were given a thorough tour by Marine Capt. David Romley. The Babylon Museum, the Director's house, gift shop, library, etc. were looted and partially burned after the recent conflict. Damage beyond these facilities seems minimal, the guard having fended off the would-be looters with a sickle ! The site is now being guarded by U.S. Marines resident in the palace that Saddam built overlooking the site."

ANCIENT BABYLON DAMAGED

National Geographic video of the Babylon ruins, German Ishtar Gate exhibit, and overview of site damage caused by US and Polish troops. Although the video fails to mention that troop stationing and securing the area may have prevented some looting and damage.

SADAM'S BABYLON PALACE OPEN

NPR Feature: While the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, are gone, a much more recent ruin has become an attraction in Iraq. A palace that Saddam Hussein built near the ancient site of Babylon has been opened to the public. Paying less than a dollar to enter, ordinary Iraqis are visiting the gutted palace. For about $180, they can even honeymoon in one of Saddam's guesthouses down on the riverbank.

TOURIST REFLECTS ON IRAQ VISIT

NPR interview of one of the first group of Western tourists to visit Iraq: 5 Brits, 2 Americans & 1 Canadian. "The security situation is good and tourists can come here." Babylon was mentioned as her favorite site. FOX NEWS article.

HINTERLAND TRAVEL Iraq tour packages ....

THE ASSIGNMENT

At this point, I'm still a bit in the dark about life at the posting in Al Hillah. The only insight I've been able to gleen is this very interesting blog from the PRT team leader, Mr. Kenneth Hillas.

IRAQ BANKS ON RELIGIOUS TOURISM

From an ABC News article: These days, says board chairman Hamoud Al-Yakobi, tourism is a matter of faith. Literally. "We depend on religious tourism," Al-Yakobi says. "There is no other tourism business here."

Published reports say the Pentagon is backing a five-year, $5 billion plan to build luxury hotels and shopping malls inside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone. Marriott is said to have agreed to build a hotel there. So far, the only groundbreaking being done is by the rockets and mortars that almost daily land inside the international compound.

More solid is a recently announced deal worth $5.5 billion to buy 40 commercial aircraft from Boeing and 10 planes from Canada's Bombardier to give a much-needed upgrade to Iraqi Airway's aging fleet. Boeing also will help Iraq move its airports closer to international standards. Al-Yakobi says new airports will soon open in Mosul and Najaf which will attract substantial tourism investment.

BABYLON: MYTH AND REALITY

The British Museum recently held an exhibit: BABYLON: MYTH AND REALITY. Here's the website which includes some great videos and interactive learning. The question: how can we partner with the museum and its expertise to address the challenges of raising Babylon?

INTRODUCTION

I am creating this blog to organize the info I'm collecting in advance of a USAID posting in Iraq as senior governance advisor in tourism development for the Babil province, which includes many archeological sites of ancient Babylonia.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

“Future tourism will be one of the tools for economic development in Iraq, and we fear that Babylon could be eaten up by unmanaged development like the paving of roads,” World Monuments President Bonnie Burnham said in a phone interview. “The city has never been mapped, and there have been very dramatic changes to it.” The U.S. Department of State has given the fund about $700,000 for the project, called “The Future of Babylon.” Full article>