Step inside the abandoned Babylon that Saddam Hussein built

A kiln found under a Montreal bridge, text edited by Queen Elizabeth I, and more. Email not displaying correctly? View in your browser. December 04, 2019 Saddam Hussein’s Abandoned Babylon Saddam Hussein saw himself as a modern reincarnation of the Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar. In the 1980s, during the Iran-Iraq War, he tried to prove it by spending millions building a massive reconstruction of Babylon. Today, after serving as a military hub during the U.S. occupation of Iraq, Babylon seems to fall between picnic site and abandoned theme park for locals. But for some, the site remains a historic and even holy site. Read More → Hidden Kiln Since 1930, the Jacques Cartier Bridge has spanned the Saint Lawrence River, linking Montreal with the Île Sainte-Hélène and continuing on to Longueuil. Back in the 19th century, some of the land that is now part of the bridge was home to a sprawling clay pipe factory and large kiln—and archaeologists have recently uncovered its ruins. Read more → Atlas Obscura Trips Holiday Offer: Sustainable Design in Puerto Rico Join us on a five-day trip to Puerto Rico next April where we’ll get an up-close look at some of the country’s many sustainable art communities, immersing ourselves in the island’s ever-evolving art, culture, and cuisine. We’ll focus on the cutting-edge as well as deeply rooted traditions, from innovative biotecture to centuries-old dance. Hurry, refer a friend to join you and you’ll both receive $250 off if you book before December 31st! Learn more → Video Playing With Fire Researchers at the U.S. Forest Service Fire Lab in Missoula, Montana, have spent 5 decades studying fire—literally playing with it—to develop new models for predicting fire behavior. Our friends from Gizmodo joined us to explore the lab and learn about philosophies like the Fire Paradox, partake in fire-based experiments, and walk through a fire wind tunnel. Watch Now → A Manuscript Sloppily Edited by Royalty A 16th-century English translation of Tacitus's Annals was later revised by a second, sloppier hand. After being found amongst royal paperwork, research has revealed the text was edited by none other than Queen Elizabeth I herself. Read more → PARRAMATTA, AUSTRALIA St. John's Cemetery Just outside of Sydney, the city of Parramatta was home to Australia’s first European inland colony, and evidence of their past still lies in the country’s oldest European burial ground. Read more → Niger Ancient Giraffes Believed to be between 6,000 and 8,000 years old, this pair of giraffes engraved onto the gently sloping, weathered surface of a large sandstone rock in Niger’s Tenere Desert are the largest known animal petroglyphs in the world. Read more → Visit AtlasObscura.com · View in Browser · Unsubscribe · See All Newsletters 61 Greenpoint Ave #622, Brooklyn, NY 11222