First published in 2005. This fascinating account, written by a British Army officer serving in Iraq, describes a little-known ethnic minority in that country. The Assyrians, like other minorities in the area, lived across many modern national boundaries. Unlike other ethnic groups, they were distinct and usually well-off. Their land became Christianized, and after the end of the British mandate in Iraq in 1932, it was revealed that the Assyrians were being persecuted by the Moslems. The survivors of the Assyrians, a once-great people and a once-great Christian Church, lived in the Hakkari mountains in the north-eastern part of Iraq.