Archaeological excavations brought into light the general plan of the territory, the irrigation system, the suburbs, and the earthen ruins of the towns.
Sipping lemon-ginger tea on the cushions of our house's rooftop pavilion, I watch the first light spangle the leaves of the poplars along the village's irrigation stream, see lambs herded into a small willow-walled corral, a woman in a black robe and orange head scarf testing her lower back after filling her buckets.