USCBS News

Department of State

Niunewa Povincial Reconstruction Team

Mosul, Iraq

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RELEASE No. 081129-01

NOV 29, 2008

 

First UNESCO Mission Since 2003 Examines Cultural Sites in Northern Iraq

 

MOSUL, Iraq – A UNESCO fact-finding mission examined the overall condition of four key cultural heritage sites in Northern Iraq during November.  The assessment team visited the Roman-Parthian city of Hatra, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1985.  In addition, the team visited three sites significant under the Assyrian Empire:  Ashur (Qal’at Sherqat), the first capital of the Assyrian Empire located in Salah ad Din Province, inscribed on the list of World Heritage Sites and the list of World Heritage Sites in Danger in 2003; Nimrud, considered the second capital of the Assyrian Empire; and the Ancient City of Nineveh, both listed on the Tentative List for World Heritage Sites.  The team also visited the Mosul Cultural Museum, currently closed and in the process of renovation.

 

UNESCO representatives have not visited sites in Ninewa Province since 2003 and this mission found that many of the exposed antiquities are deteriorating due to a lack of conservation maintenance and site stewardship.  The team documented only minor willful destruction, looting, or criminal activity at the sites.  However, destruction and theft from the 80s and 90s were clearly evident at Ninevah where the Sennacherib Palace reliefs have been almost entirely removed by previous looters.  Hatra and Nimrud showed less extensive evidence of theft and destruction but more severe signs of damage caused by water infiltration, erosion, and neglect.

 

Ms. Tamar Teneishvili, UNESCO Culture Program Specialist for Iraq was overwhelmed by the poor state of conservation at Ninevah, but said the overall mission was incredible and provided a great opportunity to appraise the sites.  Ms. Teneishvili and her colleague, Mr. Sami Al-Khoja, met with local Iraqis working on the sites, engaged with members of the Facilities Protection Service, and documented current conditions.  They will compare results of their visit with those from previous UNESCO missions before publishing their findings.

 

UNESCO has pledged funds to repair two halls at the ruins of Nimrud and to assist the Mosul Cultural Museum with renovations, starting with the library and archives.  UNESCO also committed resources to complete studies of the sites to identify the hydrologic conditions and plan future stone conservation projects and training. The Provincial Reconstruction Team in Ninewa will be requesting funds to complement the UNESCO projects and will be working with the provincial government to commit funds to the conservation projects.

 

As of 2008, 878 sites are listed as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO and three are located in Iraq. Each World Heritage Site is the property of the state within whose territory the site is located, but it is considered in the interest of the international community to preserve the sites.

 

Suzanne E. Bott, PhD

Provincial Reconstruction Team Ninewa

Cultural Heritage Advisor

DSN: 318-821-6148

SVOIP: 318-243-0294/ 243-0366

NIPR: suzanne.bott@iraq.centcom.mil

SIPR: suzanne.bott@iraq.centcom.smil.mil

British Museum also offers to assist Iraqis to present antiquities

By Martin Bailey | The Art Newspaper | Posted: 1.12.08

LONDON. The British Army is offering to help create a museum in Basra, which would be set up by the Iraqi authorities in one of Saddam Hussein’s palaces. British military planners have codenamed the project Oper­ation Bell, after Gertrude Bell, the archaeologist who helped establish the Baghdad Museum in 1926. Assistance is also being offered by the British Museum, but all parties stress that this is an Iraqi venture.

The Art Newspaper can report that the location would be the Lakeside Palace, built by Saddam Hussein in the early 1990s. Set beside an artificial lake and overlooking the Shatt al-Arab waterway, it lies in a secure area 2km south of the city centre. The opulent palace has a North African feel, with marble in the main rooms. A survey by Major Rupert Burridge of the Royal Engin­eers has confirmed that the palace could be converted into a museum relatively easily. It would provide four large exhibition galleries.

The museum project was initiated by Major-General Barney White-Spunner, who commanded the IIIrd Division. On the Iraqi side, it is supported by Dr Mufid al-Jazairi, chairman of the cultural committee of the Iraqi parliament. The project has already been approved by the Ministry of Antiquities and Tourism, and has now gone to prime minister Nouri al-Maliki for a final decision.

The Lakeside Palace would provide considerable space for antiquities. These would come from Baghdad’s National Museum, which has a huge collection in its stores (including some from Basra which survived the looting in 1991). The new museum would also show ethnography, manuscripts and more modern historical items. Its location in one of Saddam’s palaces would help tell the story of very recent events.

No one is willing to discuss the construction costs of the new museum, but they could be up to £10m. Once prime ministerial approval is granted, the Basra Museum could open in two years.

©2008 The Art Newspaper