Iraq
Incongruity: My 2002 Iraq bill worth $35,000 with the friendly and benevolent looking chap along with his ancient and modern empire buildings. Ironic that he is posed in front of the flying saucer shaped Tomb of the Unknown Soldier . It honored victims of the 1983 Iraq- Iran war when President Reagan gave aid to Saddam. But is tall one a hidden WMD?
MONUMENTAL: Ancient wisdom studied at one of the oldest universities in the world (year 1227), the Al-Mustansiriya University in Baghdad has suffered a recent series of bombings. On the right is the Islamic astrolabe a refined astronomical navigational device that COLUMBUS USED TO DISCOVER AMERICA . Some say there is evidence that Ancient Aliens brought this down from the stars.
The ancients weren't dummies. They had no "Astronomy for Dummies" yellow books like we do. Caliph Al Ma'mun of Baghdad in the year 830 estimated the earth's circumference to be a quite accurate 24,000 miles by using the astrolabe. He simply shot the sun at the same time of day between various north-south points (on a meridian) until he had one degree of separation. He believed the earth was round due to rotation etc and knowing there were 360 degrees in a circle, times the measured distance of 66 2/ 3 miles = 24,000 miles estimate for the earth's circumference. Al Ma'mun made great strides for mathematics and astronomy at the House of Wisdom , a renowned intellectual center for carrying forward ancient wisdom (like the Greek estimate of earth's circumference 200BC by looking into a well).
Yes, there is a smart phone app for that...modern wisdom can sometimes be more than watching a puppy video on the internet.
The magnetic compass for navigation seems to have come to Europe in the 13th centrury. This US compass is from a WW2 bomber crew's escape kit to avoid POWdome but also provided safety for Melissa, Misha and me on the annual Spruce Mountain firetower challenge.
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