Iraq's archaeological treasures at risk of destruction by ISIL | Al-Shorfa
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Iraq's archaeological treasures at risk of destruction by ISIL
al-shorfa.com/en_GB/articles/meii/features/2014/08/15/feature-012014-08-15 By Khalid al-Taie in Baghdad
An Iraqi man stands in front of Mosul's 900-year-old al-Hadba mosque in 2001. Some of the city's most precious heritage has been destroyed by ISIL. [Karim Sahib/AFP]
Members of the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL) in July seized the Mosul Museum of Cultural Heritage, officials at the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities confirmed.
Urging Iraqis to help authorities track and retrieve the stolen antiquities and collectibles, officials lamented the loss of property and archaeological treasures.
Built in 1952, the Mosul Museum is the second largest and oldest museum in the country, following the National Museum in Baghdad.
Its four large halls display artefacts dating back to the Assyrian and Hatra eras, as well as relics from the Islamic era. It contains a public library of a variety of books written by multiple professors and researchers.
ISIL took over the museum, expelled museum workers and made it into a base of operation, said Qais Hussein Rashid, director general of the ministry's antiquities department for Iraqi museums.
"We fear that vandalism and theft may affect the museum's contents and its gems, which include statues, murals, and sculptures mounted on display stands," he told Mawtani.
ISIL pays no notice of such rare items and is determined to blow them to pieces, he said, as it did to several other historic religious sites.
"Iraq's cultural heritage in Ninawa province is today under threat of attack and complete extinction," he said. "We have around 1,790 archaeological sites, some of which are recognised as world heritage sites, and 270 heritage buildings, as well as a library containing invaluable scripts. All of that is in danger."
Protecting Iraqi heritage
Ministry spokesman Qassem Taher al-Sudani urged all citizens, particularly Mosul residents, "to report any information that might lead to [the recovery of] antiquities looted by ISIL gangs from the city's museum or archaeological and heritage sites".
Hotlines used to provide information on ISIL activity are 07712870000, 07714269999, 07714259999, 07704239999, 103 and 104.
"We have asked the international community to work with Iraq in pursuing our antiquities, which are being smuggled out of Ninawa," he said. "There is co-operation with several countries and joint work with the UN Educational, Science and Culture Organisation (UNESCO) to restore these treasures, most notably a priceless large mural stolen by ISIL from the archaeological site of Nimrud."
UNESCO recently adopted an emergency plan for the protection of Iraq's human heritage, al-Sudani said.
The plan pledges the mobilisation of national and international efforts to protect Iraq's historic and cultural property from acts of deliberate destruction or smuggling in compliance with international agreements such as the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.
Other agreements include the 1970 UNESCO convention that prohibits the illicit import, export and transfer of antiquities and cultural property, the 1972 convention for the protection of world heritage and UN Security Council Resolution 1483 concerning Iraqi antiquities.
These fighters "seek to obliterate the Iraqi people's cultural and historic identity by targeting all Ninawa's monuments and landmarks", al-Sudani told Mawtani. "This is to such an extent that they shut down the faculty of archaeology at the University of Mosul, claiming it stood in violation of religion."
In addition to destroying and looting many ancient shrines and sanctuaries, the gunmen have damaged centuries-old monasteries and churches, looted the valuables stored within them, and burned more than 1,200 rare religious scripts, he said.
Treasures 'belong to all'
Antiquities expert Abdullah Hamed said all efforts must be exerted "to stop ISIL's assault on Iraqi history and culture".
Iraq is ready to work with all entities to keep its cultural heritage "out of the terrorists' reach" since it is not the property of Iraqis alone but belongs to all mankind, he told Mawtani.
"We call on all countries and relevant international organisations to stand with us in our plight and save our archaeological and heritage treasures from being looted and destroyed by ISIL and smuggled around the world," he said.