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Looking down from atop Tell Brak, a 5000 year old Sumerian mound built up by the detritus of many layers of habitations. It was excavated by Agatha Christie's husband Max Mallowan. Our rental car is accompanied by the blue pick-up, parked in the shade by two agents of the not-so-secret political "intelligence" service. They followed us all that day in this rarely visited Kurdish area north of Hassakah. On three days, when we were near sensitive locations and borders, we were "escorted" by pairs of agents, who handed us off at the borders of districts. Several times they helpfully kept us from getting lost, after inquiring where we were headed. Note the gun mount in the flat bed. There was an AK-47 sitting on the front seat when I innocently peered in the window.