Indeed Bruce - many humans passed through or settled at this "Fertile Crescent" of life on there ways elsewhere - to and fro. Amazing all that could be found there. The history and archeological buildings and artifacts - from Pharoah's to the British to Saddam - wealth and power - so much squandered though. It's nice to read articles like this and hear of other's visits after so long restricted. Agreed, the religion that finally settled there - broken between the Houses of The Muslim Prophet and Familial declarations at the time of Mohammed's death is much as the Schizms in other religions monotheistically born from Abraham. That the Common Thread has not passed down as it had previously when Jew, Muslim, Christian feasted together for births (circumcisions), High Holy Days (Red Letter Days in the Catholic Church since), marriages, deaths of respected elders and the sharing of harvests and working together - is a shame. Being together against the enemies of all made them strong - but it wasn't to last as the very thing keeping them together was taken over by jealous zealots determined to increase their own power and have Nations in their own images - instead of those of their people. Unfortunate,...unforeseen at the time. And yet, we still suffer from it now even with greater understanding of the totality of the World around us.