Iraq's national museum

Opening its doors

Was it wise to reopen the national museum in Iraq?

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Readers' comments


island 5

if it is a problem with humidity and other ambient factors which might do harm to the artifacts how have they been taken care of for these many years - temperature and humidity controlled storage? - with power outages and the like ?


If the security of the contents, staff and visitors cannot be assured, then postponing an opening is prudent and premature opening is cavalier. One can go on and on about the necessary conditions for the former, but that is not for this brief comment. Any violation of the first stipulation would be negligent to all and unforgivable. Treasures can never be replaced; therefore, they must always be secured to be shared by all respectful visitors.


The question is, was it wise to reopen the national museum? The options are, open or remain closed. If the museum has value as an open functioning organisation and the opening does not increase risk to the contents then it should be open. Is it wise? Self explanatory surely.

SteveS NH

Zahid - Thank you for your thoughtful and gentle words.

Which "values" would those be? Suicide bombers and prohibiting people (especially women) from getting an education? Would the values you want us to aspire to be those of the 'tourists' that went from your country to Mumbai recently?

See, we can all overgeneralize.


The tragedy of the whole situation is that US troops stood by and watched the looting of the museum. The wholesale and often mindless looting without US troops intervening was a factor in the terrible downturn in Iraq after the fall of Saddam Husein. Had the Iraqi Army not been disbanded but had been co-opted to help to control the streets the subsequent years might not have been so terrible. I recall air conditioning units being sent crashing to the ground from buildings and premature baby incubators being wheeled away from hospitals. Mindless! No doubt a lot of the museum artifacts were destroyed or damaged.


It will an incredible loss if yet more ancient artifacts are damaged or lost in what seems to be a premature opening, just to allow a PR reference. "We're making great progress, even the museum has been re-opened..."


At this very moment, why the gov sacrifies this significant culture heritage for mass-covering? This is irrational, radical and would do nothing good to this country. Under such circunstances, how could they expect a tourism boom by only reopening this museum, but not ovehauling its security and people's livelihood.
It's simply not worthwhile!


Ah yes, of course the usual game is going on, blame the west for everything. The museum was plundered by Iraqis, and the atefacts there were created by people who where neither muslims nor arabs. It would just have been a matter of time before these artefacts had been destroyed by the muslims like the Buddhas in Bamiyan! @ muggeridge A bit of cheap anti-zionism, eh. Trying to hide the fact that all the Iraqi jews, who had been living there since the time of Babylon were expelled with just the clothes on their backs. How about a right of return for these people?


For being the birthplace of civilization, they sure haven't progressed very far. They also didn't defend themselves all that well either. Another war on the empire's fringes...ho hum. At least no one important got hurt.


I reckon that history that one nation lost their history, record, memory is repeated. someone who have not experienced can not know how much they get sad...

do not waffle, condemn before poor nation losting history,,,valuale time.


我同意楼下的观点，贼喊抓贼！应该反思的是美国人，I agree with downstair's opinion, a looter say " hi, guys, let's kill the looter ", but who is the real looter? Muslim? Chinese? Russian? Iranian? OR THE US?


The Chinese now know that looting and pillaging is a western habit as seen in the Christies Paris auction of the Yves St.Laurent collection. A Christies British director asked China to give back Tibet "first" just to rub salt in the wound. Iraq knows that many items stolen in Baghdad have found their way to Israel as they have some historic connection. The West has lost all moral authority.


How beautifully this article avoids to name the people who robbed the museum by saying 'squirreled away in private collections'. But where?? do the author think in Iraq or back in the countries of Bush and Blair - The perpetrators. Soon you will find these relics in civilized auctions of Paris and London, as they did with the looted Chinese artifacts.


Who robbed the national museum? Not Iraqis. The artifects remained in Iraq for thousands of year. It was safe under Saddam with all the lack of alarm and modern security systems. It was robbed by people who have no history. History will recognize these people as barberians or huns depending on who writes the history.

martin horn

A lack of security systems at a museum full of priceless artifacts = Premise for the most boring Ocean's 11-style movie ever.



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