Samuel Guyer (1879–1950)

A fairly typical travel accounting of the day. Published post-WWI, but depicting Guyer's travels prior to the war, does offer a somewhat unique non-English perspective on the regions. Guyer was a Swiss archaeologist who was travelling in the rgion to join some excavations in then northern Mesopotamia. Interesting anecodotes of travel throughout Eastern Anatolia and northern Iraq, with the added perspective of some insights on the ruins that are encountered during the trip. Guyer notes that the looting of historically significant sites had already been underway for some time, and many sites had been completely destroyed in the previous 50 years by looters. A couple of interesting notes about visits to some of these sites by senior German officers both prior to and during WWI. Overall a good traveller's accounting of northern Iraq prior to WWI.… (meer)