Roberts first entered the tyrannical realm of Iraq in early 1990, while carrying out research for a book. Alone, and with only his wits to guide him, he journeyed into a dark landscape devastated by misery and conflict. Incredibly, Roberts returned to Baghdad in 1991 at the height of the Gulf War. One of the few journalists to penetrate the Iraqi border, he was arrested by soldiers on the outskirts of the capital and witnessed the appalling number of civilian casualties and the nightmare of the Allied bombing of the city before he eventually escaped into Turkey. Returning once more in 1995, Roberts saw what remained of Baghdad and its people after the war; although the city had been torn asunder, the human spirit still flickered on, and while many people he met told horrific and chilling tales, there were also occasions when the author came across stories and events which were bizarre, ludicrous and even amusing. This volume is a travel memoir and an eyewitness testament to the horrors of dictatorship, the devastation of war and the fortitude of human nature.