Ziggurat of Ur

Yesterday, I took the day off. We are allowed one paid holiday for Thanksgiving, within a 2-week window of said day. Being an avid fan of history, especially biblical history, I have really been looking forward to taking a tour of the Ziggurat of Ur, which is only several hundred meters away from my hooch. The ziggurat is over 4,000 years old, surrounded by royal tombs, and only 150 meters from the house in which Abraham was born. So, fortunately I was able to link up with a small group of soldiers who were getting a tour from an Iraqi man whose grandfather was one of the original excavators of the ziggurat, almost 100 years ago. This man gave an amazing tour; very knowledgeable  We walked through royal tombs that tunneled underground, through Abraham's house (he wasn't home), and up and around the ziggurat. Click here to read a quick history of the ziggurat http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziggurat_of_Ur. I have to stress, however, just how surreal it was to be walking around ruins that were so old and such an important part of the world's history. I understand I'm stating the obvious here, but this was the Abraham of the Old Testament! It was just an incredible experience; one I am sure anyone who's been to an ancient site can attest to. I'm attaching photos, but pictures do not do justice to this experience. The grounds, I mean EVERYWHERE, are covered in broken shards of pottery about 3-4 inches long, all of which are also 4,000 years old. I may, or may not have, taken full advantage of the cargo pants I happen to be wearing that day. If I end up dying an untimely, bizarre death (think King Tut curse), you may, or may not, know the reason why. If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you can see a caravan of camels on the road behind me....and yes, I am standing atop the ziggurat, praying the wind stays calm.