The Cradle of Civilization in Jeopardy

The Tower of Babel by Pieter Brueghel the elder (1525-69). He conceived it as an allegory of pride and human frailty.

In Saturday's Sacred Ordinary entry, I mention that it sounded like the Tower of Babel in Big Lots. I don't know about you, but often when I write or speak something, the actual image or mention of it will manifest somewhere else in my daily life. That was the case when I read an article by Bruce Feiler in the April 25, 2004 Parade Magazine which is inserted in the Los Angeles Times. In his article was a photo of Brueghel's Tower of Babel, which I had never seen before. It looked dream-like to me and pulled me into the article itself. Feiler, also wrote "Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths," and "Walking the Bible: A Journey by Land Through the Five Books of Moses"; I read the latter and found it very informative. The bottomline is that Feiler decided he had better visit the Cradle of Civilization before there isn't one anymore.

The article has a map of the area where all the antiquities he writes about are located and there are several interesting photos as well. The sacred sites have largely been closed in Iraq during Hussein's rule, but when the U.S. took over Iraq, Feiler knew it was or possibly never.

In a small box at the end of the article Feiler mentions that The Emergency Protection for Iraqi Cultural Antiquities Act of 2004 is currently before the U.S. Senate. To express support, he suggests we contact our Senators or Representatives, as well as Sen. Charles Grassley, Iowa, or Rep. Bill Thomas, California. Parade also has information about cultural heritage reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan on their website.

I had always hoped to visit the Holy Sites in my lifetime, but the reality of the situation is that at my age, it will probably be impossible because of the extreme danger in all these countries. If you have seen these places yourself, please write and tell me what is was like so I can live through you vicariously.