It’s Iraq but It’s Not, Part 2

The New York Times

By YASMINE MOUSA

January 7, 2011, 5:27 pm

ERBIL, Iraq – We arrived at the checkpoint that separates Iraq from Kurdistan and waited to get in, counting the seconds. It felt as if we were in a prison and now waited to be released to a place where other Iraqis feel free – and fearless.
We live in Baghdad, the capital, which in most countries would be the cleanest and most developed city. Now, nearly eight years after the invasion, we feel only disappointment. The lack of security and services made us excited about leaving
We were traveling to another part of Iraq, the Kurdish region in the north, but it felt like we were visiting another country.

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It’s Iraq but It’s Not, Part 1

The New York Times
January 6, 2011, 1:07 pm
By YASMINE MOUSA

ERBIL, Iraq — On a recent trip to the Kurdistan region north of Iraq, duty required us to drive to a place here in its capital that we didn’t know. My colleagues and I, all Iraqis, stopped by the first police officers we spotted, naturally enough, to ask for directions. We asked in Arabic, then I tried in English.

The young officer did understand us, which is how I discovered the language barrier that is slowly emerging here, dividing the country not only linguistically, but also generationally.

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King Solomon Fortress Reveals Its Secrets

A new research on an ancient fortress in the heart of Tel Aviv, Israel, is offering new insights into its past. The fortress, Tel Qudadi, was first excavated 70 years ago, but the results of the investigations were never published before.

Now, the findings by the archaeologists at Tel Aviv University suggest that the place hides much more than they imagined, including a connection between ancient Israel and the Greek island of Lesbos. They said the fortress was established centuries later than believed, and may have served as an intermediate station for trade ships travelling between Egypt and Phoenicia.

Archaeologists: Statue's Head, Mosque Walls, Islamic Coins Discovered in Syria

Wednesday, 05 January 2011 22:49

Syria (Raqqa) – The national archaeological mission working at Medinet al-Far archaeological site, north of Raqqa City, uncovered parts of an mosque which dates back to the Umayyad age.

Director of the archaeological mission Muhammad Sarhan al-Ahmad said the excavation works at the southwestern part of the site revealed some mosque walls made of bricks and coated with plaster. The floor was paved with square bricks and decorated with floral ornaments.

Ezidis celebrate Belinda Eid

Erbil, Jan.7 (AKnews)- The Ezidis of Kurdistan Region celebrate the religious Belinda Eid here Friday.

The religious group, chiefly residing in Nineveh and Dohuk province in northern Iraq, performed the religious ceremonies of their festival, apparently without encountering any security threats or attacks. However, the Christians, another religious minority in Iraq, seem to live under terror after a serious of deadly attacks on the group by militant organizations. 

The Ezidi Belinda holy day is marked on the second Friday of winter. Jaafar Simo, the media secretary for Lalish Temple told AKnews there are a number of ceremonials the worshipers perform in the religious event.

Archaeologists may have found 5,000-year-old civilization in southern Iran

TEHRAN -- A team of archaeologists working on Bam riverside in Kerman Province have recently unearthed ruins of a large ancient site, which are believed to belong to a 5000-year-old civilization.

The site was discovered while excavating for a construction project in the Khajeh Askar region near the city of Bam, team director Nader Alidadi-Soleimani told the Persian service of the Mehr News Agency on Tuesday.