BBC Middle East Editor Jeremy Bowen recalls the devastation of the first Gulf War as he witnessed the aftermath of the bombing of a shelter in Baghdad, which killed 400 civilians. "In a war life does get scythed away like grass," he says. "There were so many bodies, and blackened pieces of bodies, that they piled up in the corridors, the entrance hall and the yard outside."

In this series, Jeremy reflects on the present and the past of the Middle East, after reporting from the region for more than a quarter of a century. He combines first-hand accounts from the front line with an in-depth look into the region's history. He has witnessed endless wars between individuals, religious groups and full-sized states, jostling for military, political and economic power. He has interviewed dictators, fanatics and fundamentalists as well as the ordinary people caught up in their dangerous games. In that time, the past has always been present, providing motivation and political ammunition . Bowen has made headlines himself and he has paid a personal price, coming under fire and losing a colleague in the course of reporting - on the worst day, he says, in his life.
Producers: Mark Savage and Cara Swift.
Music: Brahms's German Requiem, Opus 45. Show less