**A race for the Ark of the Covenant finds an exploration into the
ethics and world of the international antiquity trade
**
When a great antiquities collector is forced to donate his entire
collection to the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Nili Broshi sees her
last chance to finish an archaeological expedition begun decades
earlier--a dig that could possibly yield the most important religious
artifact in the Middle East. Motivated by the desire to reinstate her
father's legacy as a great archaeologist after he was marginalized by
his rival, Nili enlists a ragtag crew--a religious nationalist and his
band of hilltop youths, her traitorous brother, and her childhood
Palestinian friend, now an archaeological smuggler. As Nili's father
slips deeper into dementia, warring factions close in on and fight over
the Ark of the Covenant!
Backed by extensive research into this real-world treasure hunt, Rutu
Modan sets her affecting novel at the center of a political crisis. She
posits that the history of biblical Israel lies in one of the most
disputed regions in the world, occupied by Israel and contested by
Palestine. Often in direct competition, Palestinians and Israelis dig
alongside one another, hoping to find the sacred artifact believed to be
a conduit to God. Two time Eisner Award winner Rutu Modan's third
graphic novel, Tunnels, is her deepest and wildest yet. Potent and
funny, Modan reveals the Middle East as no westerner could.
Ishai Mishory is a longtime New York City--and newly Bay Area--based
translator and sometimes illustrator. He is currently conducting
research for a PhD dissertation on 16th century Italian printing.
