[MSN] rcheologists and art historians who specialize in Iraq's ancient history are concerned that the country's vast collection of ancient monuments and artifacts is at risk of being destroyed or pillaged and sold on the international black market.

[Museum Security Network Mailinglist]

Iraq: Antiquities Continue To Be Pillaged, Destroyed 

By Sumedha Senanayake
Photos:
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/10/6F5F571B-F0F8-4FF9-899F-B834167
6574B.html
 
Many cultural artifacts disappeared in the chaos following the U.S.-led
invasion in 2003 
(CTK) 
PRAGUE, October 12, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- Archeologists and art historians who
specialize in Iraq's ancient history are concerned that the country's vast
collection of ancient monuments and artifacts is at risk of being destroyed
or pillaged and sold on the international black market.

Often referred to as the "cradle of civilization," Iraq houses some of the
world's greatest archeological treasures, with remnants of the ancient
Mesopotamian cities of Babylon, Ur, and Nineveh. However, since the fall of
the Hussein regime, UNESCO and archeologists have urged the international
community to take steps to safeguard Iraq's cultural heritage. 

Scholars have indicated that the state of Iraq's archeological and cultural
treasures is grim. Immediately following the collapse of the former Iraqi
regime and the subsequent breakdown of law and order, the Iraqi National
Museum in Baghdad was looted. The museum's staff indicated that almost
14,000 pieces were stolen and only about 5,400 have so far been recovered,
many from the black market in the United States, Italy, England, and
Switzerland, "All Headline News" reported on September 16. 

Furthermore, several religiously significant and historically important
Islamic shrines and mosque have also been damaged or destroyed. In April
2005, the famous spiraling Malwiya minaret of the Great Mosque of Samarra
were badly damaged by insurgents when they used it to attack coalition
forces. In February 2006, the Al-Askari mosque in Samarra, one of the most
revered Shi'ite shrines, was destroyed, setting off a wave of sectarian
violence. 

Dr. McGuire Gibson, an expert in Mesopotamian archaeology at the University
of Chicago, told "The Washington Post" on September 13 that the condition of
many of Iraq's antiquities was horrible and looting continues. The looting
"hasn't stopped," he said. "There has been the looting of sites on an
industrial scale. Some of the greatest Sumerian sites have gone."

Ministry Sets Own Agenda

A different type of threat to Iraq's cultural heritage has emerged since the
Shi'ite-dominated government took power in December. The strong showing by
radical Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr enabled his movement to gain control
of four ministries in the al-Maliki-led administration, including the
Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. 

Traditionally, the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, which oversees
Iraq's archeological and cultural heritage sites, was under the control of
the Culture Ministry, but it now falls under the jurisdiction of the Tourism
Ministry. Liwa Sumaysim -- a dentist by trade and whose wife, a member of
parliament, is a relative of al-Sadr -- was appointed to head the ministry. 

Despite the return of some artifacts, many are still in danger (courtesy
photo)Shortly thereafter, many of the most highly regarded Iraqi
archeologists and scholars at the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage
were either forced to retire or were fired and replaced with religious
fundamentalists, London's "The Times" reported on September 15. 

Burhan Shakur, an archeologist and director of excavations at the Iraqi
National Museum, was fired and later given the option to retire. The
inspector for antiquities in Dhi Qar Governorate, Abd al-Amir Hamdan, was
arrested in April on corruption charges, imprisoned for three months,
released, and charges were later dropped. His successor was a man with
affiliations to the Islamic Virtue Party (Al-Fadilah), which has close ties
to al-Sadr's movement, "The New York Times" reported on September 12. 

Former employees at the board have voiced concern that the ministry has
removed the most qualified individuals who have the expertise to maintain
and care for the priceless and often delicate antiquities. Dr. Donny George,
the former president of the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage and a
prominent Iraqi archeologist, expressed frustration with the ministry. "I
can no longer work with these people who have come in with the new
ministry," "The Times" quoted him as saying on September 15. "They have no
knowledge of archaeology, no knowledge of antiquities, nothing." He also
accused the ministry of cutting ties with museums and cultural institutions
around the world, which would severely curtail its ability to care for
archeological sites.

George, a Christian, told Britain's Channel 4 television in an interview on
September 13 that his family received a letter accusing his son of
blaspheming Islam and harassing Muslim girls. The note, accompanied with a
bullet, demanded that the family pay a fine of $1,000. That incident and the
subsequent rumors that he would be fired as president of the board because
he was a Christian, prompted George to flee with his family to Damascus.

Pre-Islamic Treasures Threatened 

In addition, there is growing speculation that the ministry is only focusing
on protecting Islamic sites and artifacts and turning a blind eye to
pre-Islamic ones. Looting in the southern Dhi Qar Governorate, an area rich
in pre-Islamic sites, has been increasing. Two pre-Islamic statues were
recently returned to the National Museum with a note attached to them
referring to the pieces as "idols." 

Does a fate similar to the Bamiyan buddhs await Iraq's pre-Islamic cultural
artifacts (courtesy photo)In 2004, the Al-Nasiriyah Museum, which contained
a huge collection of Sumerian, Assyrian, Babylonian, and Abbasid artifacts,
was burned and looted. Guards at the museum reportedly heard militants say
they would do to the antiquities "what the Taliban did", the "International
Herald Tribune" reported on September 12 -- an apparent reference to the
Taliban's 2001 destruction of the Bamyan Buddha statues in Afghanistan on
the grounds they were idolatrous. 

Elizabeth Stone, an anthropologist at Stony Brook University in New York who
has conducted numerous excavations in southern Iraq, accused the ministry of
not doing enough to protect pre-Islamic sites. "What is striking is that the
Islamic parts are left alone, whereas the immediate pre-Islamic sites are
not", she said. She also said she heard rumors that Islamic militants were
looting artifacts and selling them to fund their activities. 

The continuing destruction of Iraq's archeological sites and artifacts may
have a drastic impact on Iraq's future. Not only will a rich cultural legacy
be lost for future generations of Iraqis, but Iraq's remaining antiquities,
if protected and maintained, could serve as a centerpiece for a thriving
tourist industry. As the University of Chicago's McGuire Gibson noted in the
"International Herald Tribune" on September 12, "Antiquities are key to
Iraq's economy; at some point the oil will run out. Iraqi tourism will be
built on archaeology."

http://www.rferl.org/