An occasional travel blog and stories from the road. With special thanks to Bette for the postcards, to John for the motivation to start and to Mom and Dad for understanding the joy of the trip.
Monday, March 13, 2023
Babylon fixer upper; has title issues
Abandoned Saddam's place in Babylon. Mostly open to the public and stripped of furniture and fixture and any detail in arms length.
We were also mobbed by school children - there for class trips - wanting to say hi and take selfies!
And do you get any impression of what people think? Was life better with him or better now? Is the palace just going to be a tourist destination or are there other plans (assuming this is still one of the most extensive/elaborate/ developed sites)?
General consensus is life is much better now. Thankful the US removed Saddam but wish the aftermath had been handled ‘better’! Although surprisingly our 18 yo driver seemed pro-Saddam in his comments as he is not old enough to have lived through it.
The government has their hands full and I don’t think the palaces have a priority. It’s a tough call. They are salvageable now. But in a couple years, probably not.
And do you get any impression of what people think? Was life better with him or better now? Is the palace just going to be a tourist destination or are there other plans (assuming this is still one of the most extensive/elaborate/ developed sites)?
ReplyDeleteGeneral consensus is life is much better now. Thankful the US removed Saddam but wish the aftermath had been handled ‘better’! Although surprisingly our 18 yo driver seemed pro-Saddam in his comments as he is not old enough to have lived through it.
ReplyDeleteThe government has their hands full and I don’t think the palaces have a priority. It’s a tough call. They are salvageable now. But in a couple years, probably not.
No one could give us a good answer.