May 19, 2001 — Mudeif Productions

*Elizabeth and Marilyn atop the Samarra prayer tower.*

*The incredible prayer tower at Samarra.*

An early, early morning took us to Samarra and its spectacular mosque. The mosque itself is being renovated, but the prayer tower is accessible by a spiral staircase around its exterior that leads to spectacular views of the nearby towns. The lack of a handrail, both on the staircase and at the peak, was a bit much for some.

We then headed for the ancient ruins of Hatra, a Hellenic city north of Baghdad that was a caravanserai thousands of years ago. It has been spectacularly preserved and restored, with details of animals, humans, godesses and gods adorning its facades.

As we traveled along the road north from there, we were astonished by the abundance of wheat fields. We have found ourselves in the bread basket of Iraq. This oil-wealthy country has been devastated by the sanctions, but the people of the north have fared somewhat better because of the abundance of agricultural land.

We arrived at our stunning 5-star hotel in Mosul (the ancient city of Nineveh). It is a spectacular place (three TV channels, and extra toilet paper). Passing through the buffet line, Marthame struck up a conversation with one of the attendees from Germany. It became clear that he was disturbed by Marthame's persistent use of the word "Palestine," and tried to correct him, assuming he was playing it safe and saying "Palestine" instead of "Israel." Soon, it dawned on him that Marthame was referring to our work with Palestinians in the West Bank, and the conversation soon ended. Later we learned that the same man had seen the figures of goddesses at Hatra and had suggested to the Catholic nuns in his company that the residents of Hatra were pagan worshipers of Mary, just like them. There is a clear variety among the delegates...

We then made a brief stop at the ruins of Nimrod, guarded at its entrance by magnificent mythical stone beasts. The intricacies of the stone work and bas-reliefs are stunning, with details down to the toenails and fingernails. Cuneiform is written everywhere, and it makes us sick not to have brought materials (i.e. a pencil) to make a rubbing.

*Making our way to the Presbyterian Church of Mosul past the open sewers.*

*The choir at the Presbyterian Church of Mosul.*

We then headed to the Presbyterian Church of Mosul, nestled in the winding streets of the old city (where raw sewage runs through a trough at our feet). Built in 1840, it is the oldest Protestant Church in Iraq. Unfortunately, they have worshiped without a pastor for twenty-six years (their recent four-month trial with an Egyptian pastor didn't last - he clearly missed his wife and child). One of our group, a Syrian-American Presbyterian pastor, gave a brief sermon at the worship service scheduled specifically for our visit.

*Energetic conversation after worship in Mosul.*

The conversation afterwards quickly became very pointed - not at American sanctions, but at American morality (or lack thereof). Clearly, anti-American propaganda has worked as well here as anti-Iraqi propaganda has worked in the States. We were also told about the Yezidis who live in surrounding villages who have been showing interest in becoming Christians. Yezidis are a sort of pagan monotheism, believing that Lucifer the fallen angel must be appeased so that evil will be removed from earth and he will take his rightful place back in heaven. It was yet another reminder of the religious diversity practiced quite proudly in Iraq.

We returned to the hotel before the rest of the conferees, so three of us decided to head down to the river. There was some momentary panic when we left without a guide from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, but when we invited him along (and he didn't accept), things were quickly restored to calm. We took a chain ferry to an island in the middle of the river, where we snacked on pistachios and talked with people anxious to practice their English (and Spanish..and...German...and French).

Our dinner with the conferees was accompanied by the pianist and the photogenic smile of our presidential host ("May God redeem him").