It doesn't look very promising, does it?But then you come into the green space, very well tended, orderly, serene.
There are several large monuments in the southern half of the cemetery--more from WWI. This one stood more or less in the center of the space. Facing it and positioned at the edges of the cemetery were other large monuments inscribed with the names of other fallen men.This one, for "the Hindu soldiers of the Indian Army"
And another for the Indian Army's Muslim soldiers.
And another, far larger monument for the "men of the Egyptian Labor Corps".
It was so big that I had to crop it mercilessly, otherwise none of the text would be legible. It's overwhelming to see so many names. It's somehow harder to comprehend than the expansive fields full of individual markers at a place like Arlington.
Maybe it was because I found the larger markers overwhelming that I spent more time focused on the graves with individual headstones. They were easier to look at, less difficult to comprehend.
Thanks for sharing more photos and your impressions.
ReplyDeleteBravo Mary Ann, for this second report. It is, I think, profoundly important that we remember those who went before us, and we honor their memory, and make an effort to understand the trials they faced. Cemeteries bring all this home to us in clear focus.
ReplyDeleteHave you visited the spot just north of Beirut where there is a very narrow passage the coast highway takes going by a high arm of the mountain that comes down steeply almost into the ocean. Many foreign armies over the centuries when passing that narrow bottleneck of land left marks or monuments on the cliff wall there. It's another fascinating place near Beirut that is seeped in history.
Cemeteries are such interesting places.
ReplyDeleteThe slaughter during that war was unbelievable ... impossible for any of us to comprehend.
ReplyDeleteOwen, I think I know what you're talking about--not entirely sure, but maybe. I'd like to see the place.
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