As news filters through of the damage done during the US-UK military campaign in Iraq, we shall be posting details of damage to monuments, archaeological sites, museums, and libraries as they come in. As with many media reports during the conflict, they are often impossible to verify independently, especially in the absence of visual documentation. If you know of additions, corrections, or clarifications from reputable sources please email either or both of us at the addresses below.
Robert Fisk's original report of the burning of the Saddam Manuscripts Library in Baghdad, home to some 40,000 manususcripts, appeared in the Independent on 1 April. It is now only available on pay per view. Other free media coverage includes:
On 11 April 2003 many news media, such as the Australian Broadcasting Co.'s News Online, reported the looting of the Iraq Museum in Baghdad, the county's largest and most important collection of antiquities. The New York Times revealed on 12 April that the whole museum has been emptied and that nothing of any value remains. The curators are, naturally, devastated. (The New York Times requires free registration.) he story has also been picked up by the BBC.
More Iraq Museum stories:
Mosul Museum, Tikrit Museum, and a museum in Al-Zohur Palace in Baghdad which houses treasures of the deposed Iraqi royal family, have all been hit in bombing raids in recent days, according to Mounir Bouchenaki, assistant director general for culture at UNESCO, as reported by United Press International and Reuters on 27 March 2003.
Mosul Museum is of particular international importance, as it houses finds from the ancient Assyrian capitals of Nimrud (ancient Kalhu) and Nineveh, as well as statuary from the Hellenistic desert city of Hatra and objects from early Islamic Mosul. The museum's director Manhal Jabr reported his intentions to evacuate the museum before the war began, but it is not known how much of its contents were moved to safety; many objects, such as the monumental winged lions from Nimrud are too heavy to be easily transported.
A photo on H-Museum shows the damage done to Tikrit Museum. Neither of us is familiar with the museum or its contents.
Mustansiriya University in Baghdad, founded in 1234, was bombed on 23 March 2003 according to Reuters. It was also hit during a four-day bombing raid in December 1998, according to the Washington Post. There is a photo of the original Mustansiriya at the Spanish-language Arte Historia website. It is not clear whether this or some more recently constucted part of the university was hit.
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Created on 25 March 2003 ER. Last updated on 25 April 2003 with research by Alexa Bartelmus. © JNP and ER . For further information please contact Professor Nicholas Postgate jnp10@cam.ac.uk or Dr Eleanor Robson eleanor.robson@all-souls.ox.ac.uk.