Favorite Links, Blogroll, and Other Sites of Interest (Updated)

Fri, 1 Feb 2008 21:39:40 -0600

Image: A visual representation of the blogosphere as of June 2006 -- the lines represent links among blogs, and the colors represent different hosting domains. Credit: Data Mining blog; Mapping the Blogosphere Gallery (link). Below are links to a wide variety of websites: personal favorites, friends' pages, related blogs, miscellaneous sites of interest, professional societies to which I belong, reciprocal links to sites which link back here, etc. Usual disclaimer: views expressed on the extern

Top 10 Things to See on a 10-Hour Bus Ride Through Syria

Fri, 14 Sep 2007 11:38:05 -0500

Above: A typical scene in the middle of the Syrian desert near Palmyra. A 10-hour bus trip anywhere is not anyone's idea of a fun time. A 10-hour bus trip from Damascus through the desert to the northeastern corner of Syria can be trying at times. It takes willpower to not count the number of apparently broken-down buses you pass on the road -- I stopped counting at five, I think. There isn't much protecting you from heat outside the bus, a fact of which you are reminded when taking a bathroo

What to Pack for Archaeological Excavation in the Middle East

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 09:56:39 -0500

Above: Me in my field gear, standing on a tell in northeastern Syria in August; in the background are fields and shrub steppe; just faintly visible on the horizon is the Sinjar Uplift, over 1450 meters in elevation, in northwestern Iraq. Here are the disclaimers: I'm not an expert, and chances are, if you are new to archaeological excavations in the Middle East, the excavation directors have provided a list of what to bring and what not to bring. This list is not exhaustive -- do not blame me i

Photos: Rural Northeastern Syria

Thu, 6 Sep 2007 19:21:07 -0500

Above: The village of Mozan near its namesake: the archaeological site of Tell Mozan. This is a farming village in an region where wheat and cotton are grown using of dry-farming techniques and irrigation ditches. Mozan lies in the area between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, known as Al Jezirah. The village sits between Qamishli and Amuda, and it is only 4 miles (6 km) from the Turkey border and about 40 miles (70 km) from the Iraq border. Most of the buildings are mudbrick, stone, and cin

Photos: Wandering around Qamishli, Syria

Fri, 7 Sep 2007 19:20:15 -0500

Above: A side street in downtown Qamishli (also spelled Kameshli, Kamishli, Qamishle, and so on). Qamishli is a city in northeastern corner of Syria -- a 10-hour bus ride from Damascus (as I discovered from personal experience). It is very near the Turkey border in the region known as Al Jezirah (meaning the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers). The city lies on the Jaghjaghah River, a tributary of the Khabur River, which flows into the Euphrates. The population (somewhere between 9

Photos: Street Scenes in Damascus, Syria

Wed, 5 Sep 2007 19:13:49 -0500

Above: A view of Al-Tekiyeh Al-Sulaymaniyeh, a 15th-century Ottoman-style mosque near the old city. The mosque sits on the Barada River near the National Museum and Damascus University. It is considered to be an excellent example of Islamic architecture and one of the most refined yet simple buildings in the country. Its designer was Mimar Sinan, architect of the Ottoman sultan Suleiman Al Kanouni. Construction started in 1445 and finished in 1450, and for centuries, this mosque served as a

Photos: Friendly Syrian Farmers and Shepherds

Tue, 4 Sep 2007 14:05:00 -0500

Above: A shepherd in northeastern Syria with a small fraction of his flock. While I was excavating and studying stone tools in northeastern Syria, about 40 miles (70 km) from Iraq and 4 miles (6 km) from Turkey, the local Syrians were very welcoming and eager to communicate with me, wanting to know where I came from, if I had been to Syria before, what I thought of their country, if I was married, if I had kids, and just about everything else about me. The language barrier was more of an obstac