Almost Babylon

Early last week we received an invitation to the grand opening of the new office of the Iraqi Society of Fish Producers in Al-Hillah. After the ribbon cutting and the speeches, lunch was to be served at a restaurant near the Babylon Ruins. I was excited about the prospect of visiting these famous ruins, having had the chance to visit the Great Ziggurat of Ur in 2008. Opportunities to be a tourist have been extremely rare, mainly because I've had a job to do.

We made yet another visit to the Euphrates Fish Farm, specifically to check the status of the pump station on the Euphrates River, prior to the ceremony. Given the time, we skipped the ceremony in downtown Al-Hillah and opted to proceed directly to the ruins for lunch. When we got there, passing by the palace built on "Saddam Hill," the parking lot was filled with buses and large numbers of mostly teenage boys were milling around. Clearly this is a popular spot for school field trips and the scene was mildly chaotic.

The leader of our security team was trying to find a way for us to get to the restaurant in a secure way. He finally decided that there would be no way for him to have control over our security and advised us to scratch the visit. My heart sank in disappointment. Of course, he probably made the right decision, and I realized how willing I was to risk my safety to see the ruins. I think everything would have been fine but it was not my call to make and it was the security team leader's responsibility to assure our safety.

My disappointment was short-lived because I know by direct experience that the best-laid plans can easily change when working in this kind of an environment. Flexibility and pateience are key attributes to success and happiness for Iraqi and ex-pat alike. I stewed in my juices a little while but then came around when we stopped off at the Middle-East Fisheries Company farm to check on the day's fish spawning and were treated to a "simple" lunch of kebab, roast vegetables, pickles, and bread. Nice.

I'm hoping the day will come when I can return to the Babylon Ruins and walk freely, soaking up the sweep of Mesopotamian history.