I've been spending a lot of research time looking up interesting Middle Eastern sites to send my characters to. This is where they are right now: it's called Ctesiphon (or Taysafun as rendered through Arabic) and it was the old capital of the Persian Empire before the Arabic invasion. When Baghdad got built most of the stone from the now-deserted Ctesiphon got robbed out, and the remnants have been sadly crumbling to bits ever since. That arch is a stunning 110ft high.
I actually found it on Google Earth . And if you follow the river up and left a bit - yep, there's Baghdad. You know, I always assumed that wouldn't be available to the general viewer.
I love doing research. When you find exactly the right Thing you have been looking for, as if it's been waiting all along just to fit into your book ... That's such a thrill!
Just to say - thank you so much for putting the BICEPS link in your sidebar!
ReplyDeleteIt's really exciting to see it there. And I'm thrilled at the support we got on Lust Bites. Thank you!
No probs Kristina: I support what you're campaigning for. Equal treatment matters.
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