American Troops Launch “Exorcist” Tour At Ancient Temple
BY COLIN FREEMAN
IN HATRA
FOR A COUNTRY recently purged of its chief tormentor, it is perhaps a grimly appropriate theme for its first new tourist night. To his astonishment, he spotted
Hatra’s distinctive skyline in the director
William Friedkin’s opening sequence, in attraction.
American troops in Iraq have launched what has been dubbed “The
Exorcist Experience”, after discovering that which a priest at an archaeology dig unearths the ancient Mesopotamian demon that goes on to possess a young American girl. “It was filmed a bit before Saddam the ancient ruins they were guarding provided the location for the 1973 horror classic’s opening sequence.
They now plan to help locals put the 2,000-year-old city of Hatra back on the international tourist map by marketing it as a future holiday destination to fans of the cult film.
Using a modest $5,000 grant, the soldiers have recruited local guides and guards to the city and built a car park and police station nearby. They have also revamped the nearby Saddam-built Hatra
Hotel, which they hope to privatise. “Once it’s up and running again as a visitor’s spot, this place will be a real moneypot,” said
Capt Nik Guran. “The film will just add to the numbers of people coming here. You should see it all at night—we’ve put in floodlights and it looks really beautiful.”
The regiment hatched the plan to revamp the Assyrian site’s derelict visitors’ facilities after spending the summer living in Hatra’s 200ft-high sun temples to protect them from looters. An oasis of pre-
Christian civilisation in the middle of the desert south-west of Mosul, Hatra’s finely preserved columns and statues make it one of the most impressive of Iraq’s archaeological sites.
After spending several months looking after the site and researching its history, most of the soldiers can now discourse knowledgeably on the various
Assyrian, Sumerian and Parthian influences on its butterscotch-coloured stonework.
Initially, the troops thought the main interest would come from archaeology enthusiasts who flocked there decades ago, before Saddam virtually closed the site to the outside world. They only realised its marketing potential to millions of fans of the world’s most famous horror film when, completely by chance, Capt Guran watched
The Exorcist on a portable DVD player one really came to power, and the opening scene was made at an actual excavation that was taking place here at the time,” said
Capt Guran.
Saddam would no doubt have admired Hatra’s defensive record against invading superpowers, which involved using early forms of chemical and biological weapons. Naptha bombs and jars of desert scorpions were poured over the outer wall to successfully repel Roman invaders, according to the classical folklorist Adrienne Mayor.
More recently, the temple has been associated with the so-called Exorcist’s
Curse, said to have plagued all those involved in the film with bad luck. “We had an incident a while back where one soldier shot another, and there were mutterings about it being the curse of Hatra,” said Capt
Guran. “We had to stop that right away.”
The city was left in ruins after it was sacked and burnt by Sapor, the
Sassanian Persian king, in AD241. the impressive temple complex dedicated to several Hatrene gods, the chief of which was the sun god Shamash, lies in the very centre of its limestone and gypsum walls.
Mohammad Sulaiman, a former US army translator who has been trained to manage the hotel, hopes it will revive the economic fortunes of the poverty-stricken local town. “This is our heritage and we want to show it to all the world,” he said.
“Hopefully, now that Saddam has been captured, peace will come and the tourists will return.”
Lt Col Kevin Felix, who had the original idea of revamping the site, said: “I would love to come back in a few years’ time and stay as a tourist at the hotel.”

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READING COMPREHENSION TEST. Part One.
Read the article and answer the following questions.
1.
What is “The Exorcist Experience”? a.
A screening of the 1973 horror classic in the original site where it was filmed. b.
A guided tour through the ruins of a 2,000-year-old sun temple in Hatra. c.
A night in the recently revamped Hatra Hotel in Iraq. d.
A visit to the archaeological dig where the opening sequence of The Exorcist was filmed.
2.
Who would be interested in visiting Hatra? a.
The locals and, perhaps, also the Romans. b.
The devoted followers of the 1973 William Friedkien horror classic. c.
Archaeology enthusiasts who would fully appreciate its finely preserved columns and statues. d.
Archaeology and Exorcist fans alike, as well as certain former combatants in the war with Iraq.
3.
Who does the Hatra Hotel belong to at the moment? a.
It belongs to Saddam Hussein. b.
It belongs to the State of Iraq. c.
It belongs to the Americans. d.
It belongs to Mohammad Sulaiman.
4.
What has most of the money from the grant been spent on? a.
On restoring the ancient sun temple that appears in The Exorcist to its original splendor. b.
On building a small resort near the temple, which includes a car park, a police station, and a refurbished Hotel Hatra. c.
On recruiting local guides and guards to protect the city. d.
On purchasing chemical and biological weapons for the defense of Hatra.
5.
What is the “Exorcist’s Curse”? a.
A plague of desert scorpions poured over the outer wall of Hatra by Saddam’s loyal followers. b.
It is said that those who worked in the 1973 horror film have since suffered from bad luck. c.
Soldiers from the same army start shooting one another after living in Hatra’s sun temples for a while. d.
It is said that an ancient Mesopotamian demon, having been unearthed by a priest, once possessed a young American girl.
6.
Who built the temple and to what purpose? a.
It was built by the Persians in honor of the sun god Shamash. b.
It was built by the Romans for several Hatrene gods. c.
It was built by a pre-Christian civilization for the worship of several gods. d.
It was built by Americans as a set for the opening sequence of The Exorcist .