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British Paper Reports
U.S.
Troops 'vandalise' ancient city of Ur in
Iraq
Ed Vulliamy
Sunday May 18, 2003 The Observer
[Excerpted]
One of the greatest wonders of civilisation, and
probably the world's most
ancient structure - the Sumerian city of Ur in
southern Iraq - has been
vandalised by American soldiers and airmen,
according to aid workers in the
area.
Land immediately adjacent to Ur has been chosen
by the Pentagon for a
sprawling airfield and military base. Access is
highly selective, screened
and subject to military escorts, which - even if
agreed - need to be arranged
days or weeks in advance and carefully skirt the
areas of reported damage.
Ur is believed by many to be the birthplace of
the prophet Abraham. It was
the religious seat of the civilisation of Sumer
at the dawn of the line of
dynasties which ruled Mesopotamia starting about
4000 BC. Long before the
rise of the
Egyptian,
Greek or Roman empires, it
was here that the wheel was
invented and the first mathematical system
developed. Here, the first poetry
was written, notably the epic Gilgamesh, a
classic of ancient literature.
The most prominent monument is the best preserved
ziggurat - stepped pyramid
- in the Arab world, initially built by the
Sumerians around 4000 BC and
restored by Nebuchadnezzar II in the sixth
century BC.
The Pentagon has elected to build its massive and
potentially permanent base
right alongside the site, so that the view from
the peak of the ziggurat -
more or less unchanged for 6,000 years - will be
radically altered.
Each hour, long convoys of trucks heave gravel
and building materials through
checkpoints and the barbed wire perimeter extends
daily.
There are reports that walls have been damaged by
spray-painted graffiti,
mostly patriotic or other slogans, and regimental
mottos. One graffiti reads:
'SEMPER FE' - Always Faithful - the motto of the
Marines, who stormed through
this region on their way to Baghdad, and form a
contingent at the base.
The Army Public Affairs office at Ur refused to
speak to The Observer.
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2003-05-20 Tue 18:24ct