In Babylon, Iraqis shield ancient symbols of identity from Islamic State

[unhappycamper]

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2014/1007/In-Babylon-Iraqis-shield-ancient-symbols-of-identity-from-Islamic-State



Residents visit the ancient city of Babylon, 60 miles south of Baghdad, Feb. 17, 2012.

In Babylon, Iraqis shield ancient symbols of identity from Islamic State
By Dominique Soguel, Correspondent October 7, 2014

Babylon, Iraq — The fortunes of the ancient city of Babylon have waxed and waned with the rise and fall of empires. Today, the biggest threat to this powerful symbol of diversity are the Islamic State jihadis who swept out of Syria to capture large swathes of Iraq, looting archaeological treasure and blowing up shrines and sites they consider blasphemous along the way.

“Babylon is a symbol of strength. For those who want to take pride in Iraq, Babylon is the best we have. It is a symbol of unity from north to south,” says archaeological director Hussein Fleih.

In Iraq, that unity is now under threat, with the country splintering along sectarian and ethnic lines. The Kurds hold the north, Shiites the south, and Sunni militants the rest as a newly-formed mixed government in Baghdad pushes to keep everyone together under one flag.

In 2010, after the site reopened to the public, about 24,000 visitors flocked to Babylon, an oft-conquered seat of ancient empire. Visitors enter the sprawling complex through a modern replica of Ishtar Gate, an arch of glazed blue bricks decorated with low-reliefs of wild cattle and a mythical hybrid known as mushushu, a dragonlike creature with a scaled body, feline forelegs, eagle talons and scorpion-tipped tail.