Robert Muirhead

Bearing Witness Robert Muirhead

Robert Muirhead travelled to Iraqi Kurdistan during a relatively peaceful period in its turbulent history. He experienced some of the physical grandeur of the land where the Kurds live and cling to with indomitable passion. Kurdistan has a lot to offer: ancient monuments including the UNESCO World Heritage Site at the Citadel in the Kurdish capital of Erbil, important archaeological sites, historic battlefields such as Gaugamela, the eternal beauty of the natural world and diverse religions encompassing all the major monotheistic faiths. He visited the important Yezidi shrine at Lalish where he witnessed a traditional baptism and mingled with Yezidi devotees inside the shrine. He drank tea with a group of Peshmerga soldiers guarding one of Saddam Hussein's looted palaces. You will learn more about these formidable soldiers in this book. Robert Muirhead spent a harrowing time in the Red House, a notorious prison in Slemani where countless victims were tortured and died under the Saddam Hussein regime. He describes some of the photos and exhibits that deeply moved him. Another heart-rending visit was to Halabja, the site of a gas attack by Saddam Hussein that killed over 5,000 villagers and wounded many more. He met one of the survivors of that atrocity who now guides visitors in the Halabja Monument and Peace Museum and you will hear his story. You will meet some of the Kurds whose paths briefly crossed his and be inspired by their strength, resilience and optimism despite having endured so much. Robert Muirhead wandered through the bustling bazaars in Erbil and Slemani and enjoyed endless cups of tea, the Kurds favourite drink, with many amazing meals.