Transcribed from a label in front of an inscribed marble stone in the Museum of Turkish Arts -
Distance Marker – 685 AD
The slave of God-the emir of the faithful, Abdal Malik, may God’s mercy be upon him, erected this stone. From Damascus to here is 109 [miles].
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I met Indranji Pal this afternoon in a park between the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. She’s from Calcutta, but is employed by the American Embassy in Baghdad as part of a goodwill team, whose difficult assignment is to win hearts and minds. According to her, there are parts of Iraq that are becoming safer, but for the most part the country is plagued by insistent random violence via car bombs and suicide bombers on foot or bicycles.
She told me that when Saddam was in power there were kidnappings and torture, but these events were isolated and somewhat predictable, because they were focused on those who politically opposed the ruling party, so most people lead fairly “normal” lives. Now she says the random violence is so pernicious and deadly that most Iraqis are afraid to go to the market or anywhere outside their homes. She also believes the Iraqi government is highly corrupt and inept and not able to keep the peace. In addition, ever since we invaded in 2002 the infrastructure–water and electricity have not been restored.
