Category Archives: Blog

A few days ago, I drove deep into the desert with some colleagues to explore remote caravanserais on the Silk Road in Turkmenistan…

Far away from my yurt abode, we explored the ruins of medieval koshks and caravanserais–gathering spots for traders and travelers not too far from the glorious city of medieval Merv…

Since there is no paved “road” to travel on, our ride was very bumpy, and finding the ruins was no easy task–a true adventure in every sense of the word…

When we reached our furthest point in the desert, we stopped to enjoy a picnic lunch on the Silk Road itself, and our driver poured many bottles of water on the radiator to cool it off…there’s no end to the treasures and adventure here in beautiful Turkmenistan…

I am currently in Turkmenistan excavating an Islamic bazaar on the Silk Road…

We have been using kite photography for the site to get aerial views…

Many more of these photos to come soon!

Yesterday, while excavating, I found an Islamic medieval turquoise glaze lamp–what an amazing surprise it was when my trowel stumbled upon it lodged into a wall, which was once sacked by the Mongols…

Looking forward to sharing more of the marvelous treasures the sands of this desert are hiding …

Welcome to my yurt…

For nearly a month, I’ve been living in Turkmenistan in a yurt built for the President of Turkmenistan…

The yurt was being used as a shed when I arrive–it was full of sand, tools and debris…but after a good cleaning, it was ready for me to move in to see if I could live in a yurt for a month while doing archaeology on the Silk Road…To decorate the walls, I bought some scarves in the bazaar, and just this week-end, I hosted and curated the a yurt poetry festival…I look forward to sharing more about that soon…

To my surprise, a small puppy showed up and has served, of course, as a loyal and adorable yurt companion…more to come on yurt life soon, since I don’t have internet access in the yurt!

To learn more about yurts and how to build your own yurt, please look up Becky Kemery’s book Yurts: Living in the Round, as well as the Yurt Foundation of William Coperthwaite’s, author of A Handmade Life, who has always provided me with plenty of inspiration for my dream of living in a yurt–which finally came true on the Silk Road.

I am currently living in a yurt in Turkmenistan and excavating on the Silk Road…

From preserving medieval Sufi shrines to digging up ancient bazaars, every day has truly been an adventure…

Looking forward to sharing the beauty and history of Turkmenistan with you soon…

This is just a shout out to the students at Columbia Law School who are reading my work this week–I’m happy to be in dialogue with you about how we can bring archaeology and law together to talk about the preservation of heritage.

“Are you a couple, or?” I said.

“Well, we started to date–but then we found out we were cousins, so now we are just friends,” he said, as we looked out over Gullfoss Waterfall in Iceland.

Driving around Iceland with two new Icelandic friends we had made, we were getting our first lesson in how Icelanders navigate the awkward dating situations which commonly arise in a country of 320,000.

But now–technology has made life much easier for Icelanders like our friends. Because a new app, available on Android phones under ‘ÍslendingaApp SES(Beta),’ has been developed to prevent Icelanders from dating their relatives–by showing Icelanders how they are related to one another. Just one more example of technology bringing people together–and keeping them apart!

“Speak softly, but carry a big can of paint.”
― Banksy, Wall and Piece

When I was looking for a quote to accompany these photos, I found this website of Banksy’s images–czech it out…

My students and I have been taking our love of learning hieroglyphs out of the classroom and into the world–the best classroom of all.  Recently, we deciphered more complex grammatical sentences on the inviting grass of our palm laden campus, and soon we will be jetting off on yet another field trip to go see traces of hieroglyphs that the ancient Egyptians themselves left behind in the Levant…

Be a scribe, and be spared from soldiering!
You call and one says: ‘Here I am.’
You are safe from torments.
Every man seeks to raise himself up.
Take note of it!

— Papyrus Lansing

In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and the sharing of pleasures.
For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.
Let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit.

March on. Do not tarry. To go forward is to move toward perfection. March on, and fear not the thorns, or the sharp stones on life’s path.

Out
of
suffering
have
emerged
the
strongest
souls;
the
most
massive
characters
are
seared
with
scars.

Love is the only flower that grows and blossoms without the aid of the seasons.

Where shall you seek beauty, and how shall you find her, unless she herself be your way and your guide?

Now I realize that the trees blossom in Spring and bear fruit in Summer without seeking praise;
and they drop their leaves in Autumn and become naked in Winter without fearing blame.

Your house shall not be an anchor but a mast.
It shall not be a glistening film that covers a wound, but an eyelid that guards the eye.

Beauty is life when life unveils her holy face. But you are life and you are the veil.
Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror. But you are eternity, and you are the mirror.

We live only to discover beauty. All else is a form of waiting.

Yes, there is a Nirvana; it is in leading your sheep to a green pasture,
and in putting your child to sleep, and in writing the last line of your poem.

Like the seeds dreaming beneath the snow, your heart dreams of spring…
I prefer to be a dreamer among the humblest, with visions to be realized,
than lord among those without dreams and desires…

For some home-cooked, organic Lebanese food, I headed yesterday to Auntie Salwa’s, where Auntie Salwa herself rotates in new fresh dishes every day…you can choose their dish of the day, or pick five different dishes to taste. Eating in their quaint little cafe, while sipping on some fresh-squeezed orange juice–is pure delight…

Perhaps my favorite Lebanese dish is Chicken Fatteh–a combination of chicken, yogurt, chickpeas, pinenuts and fried, shredded bread. So hop on a plane to try some for yourself, or just look up a recipe online and get cookin’–you won’t be disappointed!

And of course there’s always old stand-bys like hummus–served here with meat and pinenuts…

…and babaghanoush–which just can’t be beat. The food of Lebanon–just one more reason to get on a plane, and come see Lebanon for yourself!

On my stroll this evening to one of my favorite cafes in Beirut…

I passed by the Cupcakery…

…where I just had to get a treat…

…and as I wandered from cafe to cafe…

…I found more graffiti that had escaped me…

…just a few blocks from my house…

…the walls were talking…

So how can we ever feel alone?

When the whole city speaks…

While I’m in the midst of penning a longer post about Easter in Beirut, I thought I’d share some shots of street art in Beirut–and especially from Hamra…

Where have you seen Hamra before? Well, maybe on Homeland. But–as I’ve pointed out before–the real Hamra is a world away from Homeland. Instead of those masked gunmen on a dusty road, you’ll find H&M, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, and Radio Shack…and oh so many cafes and cocktails…

Hamra, once the intellectual watering hole of Beirut in the 1960s and 1970s…is still bustling with activity and nightlife today…and on almost every street corner…

…you’ll find some graffiti…

…where you least expect it.

…to promote upcoming events…

…make a political statement…

…and surprise the eyes with unexpected art in all directions…

Currently, there are no laws on the books against spray painting in Lebanon…

…but recently a Lebanese painter and poet was charged with disrupting the public order…

…because one of his images may have crossed that unmarked line.

The landscape of our neighborhood is constantly changing–murals come and go…

…there are new manifestos to proclaim–new concerts to announce–and new images to create.

The street art of Hamra keeps things fresh–we’ve got a conversation going. The day to worry, perhaps, is the day the graffiti stands still. For now, these night artists are still stalking the streets, making themselves–and their art–be known…

Just a quick post on this beautiful Saturday morning to share my ever burning love of Beirut…

…often called the Miami of the Middle East…

…but comparing it to “Miami” or “Paris” doesn’t do it justice–because Beirut is a world of its own–and so is Lebanon.

But to understand–you’ll just have to hop on a plane–and see it for yourself.

Because what you won’t see in the media, are the cabins of Jezzine…

…the lush, rolling hills of the south…

…and you’ll certainly never “tyre” of the endless ruins in all directions…

…but still be sure to stop for a seafood lunch in Byblos…

…and at night…before the requisite partying begins, feast on some pain perdu–French toast with vanilla ice cream– that will leave you giving thanks for being alive…

So don’t believe all the Homeland hype. Life here in Lebanon is–for many–just one non-stop party (“Top Ten Bars in Beirut”: http://travel.cnn.com/10-best-bars-beirut-822916). Because that which does not kill you–might just make you party. And I can’t think of a more beautiful place–to celebrate being alive…