| Submit your comments on this article |
| Iraq |
| Iraq to reopen museum, symbol of 2003 looting |
| 2009-02-12 |
| BAGHDAD - Iraq will reopen later this month its renowned national museum, home to priceless artefacts plundered in the unchecked chaos following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, an Iraqi minister said. The long-awaited reopening marks a milestone in the government’s efforts to retrieve and preserve artefacts and archaeological sites from Iraq’s history after almost six years of theft, destruction and violence. The country is said to be the site of the ‘cradle of civilisation’, the area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and the looting of relics—some thousands of years old—was seen as a tragedy for Iraq and for the world. Qahtan al-Jibouri, Iraq’s minister of state for tourism and antiquities, said the government had been renovating the museum in central Baghdad for several months and planned to open its doors to the public before the end of February. The museum and other archaeological sites will be protected by a newly formed Interior Ministry force called the “relics protection force,” Jibouri said in an interview. The force will aim to prevent a repeat of the devastation of April 2003 when looters robbed the museum of some 15,000 priceless artefacts as part of a wave of theft from public buildings after Saddam Hussein’s regime fell. Officials have since struggled to rebuild the museum’s collection, recouping about a third of what was looted. Even as violence across Iraq dropped sharply, officials put off reopening the museum until its security could be assured. Now, with violence at its lowest point since the war began, the museum—and Iraq—has been deemed ready. Jibouri said Iraq was trying to encourage the return and repatriation of other stolen artefacts, offering a reward and promising not to file charges for ill-gotten goods. “A good number of relics are being returned,” he said. The amount of the reward depends on officials’ assessment of the piece’s worth along with its authenticity. Even under Saddam, poorly guarded archaeological sites were widely plundered. The museum is a central plank in the strategy of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s government to bolster tourism in Iraq and protect valuable historical sites. “The ministry is serious about carrying out its plans, but our funding is extremely limited,” he said. Washington provided $13 million to help restore the museum and $700,000 to repair ruins at the ancient city of Babylon, which have been damaged by U.S. and coalition soldiers. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #3 |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2009-02-12 11:46 |
| #2 |
| Posted by: Frozen Al 2009-02-12 11:24 |
| #1 |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2009-02-12 08:40 |