The IEEE Ottawa Section, and Algonquin College Student Branch in conjunction with School of Advanced

Technology, Algonquin College are inviting all interested IEEE members and other engineers,
technologists, and students to a technical seminar on

Ancient Mesopotamian Stories

by
Assia Kaab
A historian and classical architect
www.ishtar.me
DATE: Tuesday, March 14, 2017.

TIME: Refreshments, Registration and Networking: 6:00 p.m.; Seminar: 6:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m.

PLACE: Algonquin College, School of Advanced Technology, T-Building, Ciena Optophotonics Lab (Room
T129), 1385 Woodroffe Ave., 1385 Woodroffe Ave., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
PARKING: Free after 5:00 p.m. at Parking Lots 8 & 9 only. Please respect restricted areas.
Admission: Free Registration required. To ensure a seat, please register by e-mail contacting:
Abdul Al-Azzawi <alazzaa@algonquincollege.com>.
More Info: Wahab Almuhtadi almuhtadi@ieee.org.

Abstract

What are the oldest stories ever told? Who regaled them and who listened? How did they affect the
development of humankind? Hundreds of thousands of tablets as old 8000 years are amongst the
legacy of the ancient Mesopotamians who not only set the stage for future cultures but also invented the
very concept of civilization. They hold tales of ancient wisdom and voices that still echo between two
ancient rivers, unheard and abandoned. Mesopotamia in all its opulent history and epic tales has a very
sobering story to tell. The story is of empires whose apparent invincibility was a weakness and whose
predecessors have been so far removed from their heritage that they have become strangers to their
own inheritance. Many lessons can be learnt from the ancient civilizations that developed between the
Tigris and Euphrates. Lessons that could potentially lessen the cultural wasteland Iraq has found itself in
and assist nations in understanding societal structures when dealing with Iraq. This lecture aims to
understand Mesopotamia through its written legacy.

Bio

Assia Kaab has a unique outlook into a very rarely researched subject; Mesopotamian scripture. As a
classical architect and historian she has a practical approach to ancient history and the ability to understand
the value of the ancient sciences. She has held lectures on that subject to international audiences and is
planning to use the study of ancient Mesopotamia to rehabilitate her homeland. She is a master stone mason
from the Guild of St Stephen and St George and a graduate from one of Londons finest universities, UCL.
She is currently employed as a researcher for the Canada Science and Technology Museum Cooperation,
working on an architectural project surrounding the Ottoman Empire.