Looters Ransack Baghdad's Antiquities Museum

Reuters ^ | April 12, 2003 | Hassan Hafidh

[kalt]

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Looters have sacked Baghdad's antiquities museum, plundering treasures dating back thousands of years to the dawn of civilization in Mesopotamia, museum staff said on Saturday.

They blamed U.S. troops for not protecting the treasures.

Surveying the littered glass wreckage of display cases and pottery shards at the Iraqi National Museum on Saturday, deputy director Nabhal Amin wept and told Reuters: "They have looted or destroyed 170,000 items of antiquity dating back thousands of years...They were worth billions of dollars."

She blamed U.S. troops, who have controlled Baghdad since the collapse of President Saddam Hussein's rule on Wednesday, for failing to heed appeals from museum staff to protect it from looters who moved in to the building on Friday.

"The Americans were supposed to protect the museum. If they had just one tank and two soldiers nothing like this would have happened," she said. "I hold the American troops responsible for what happened to this museum."

The looters broke into rooms that were built like bank vaults with huge steel doors. The museum grounds were full of smashed doors, windows and littered with office paperwork and books.

"We know people are hungry but what are they going to do with these antiquities," said Muhsen Kadhim, a museum guard for the last 30 years but who said he was overwhelmed by the number of looters.

"As soon as I saw the American troops near the museum, I asked them to protect it but the second day looters came and robbed or destroyed all the antiquities," he said.

ARMED GUARDS

Amin told four of the museum guards to carry guns and protect what remained.

Some of the museum's artifacts had been moved into storage to avoid a repeat of damage to other antiquities during the 1991 Gulf War.

It houses items from ancient Babylon and Nineveh, Sumerian statues, Assyrian reliefs and 5,000-year-old tablets bearing some of the earliest known writing. There are also gold and silver helmets and cups from the Ur cemetery.

The museum was only opened to the public six months ago after shutting down at the beginning of the 1991 Gulf War. It survived air strikes on Baghdad in 1991 and again was almost unscathed by attacks on the capital by U.S.-led forces.

Iraq, a cradle of civilization long before the empires of Egypt, Greece or Rome, was home to dynasties that created agriculture and writing and built the cities of Nineveh, Nimrud and Babylon -- site of Nebuchadnezzar's Hanging Gardens.

[kalt]

This seems unfortunate.

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[Drango]

"I hold the American troops responsible for what happened to this museum."

I blame the looters...

[Nick Danger]

Oh, the humanity! This is all our fault. Why, if the black-clad Fedayeen Saddam were still in the streets, slitting the throats of anyone who stepped out of line, this would never have happened.

Say this for Mussolini Saddam, he made the trains run on time.

[kalt]

I wonder what our side of the story is--why we didn't patrol the museum. Of course, this is a Reuters story, so I'm not surprised that we are left to guess what our side of the story might be.

[Ditter]

This really upsets me. This museum was the ONLY reason I would have ever wanted to visit a free Iraq.

[HairOfTheDog]

This seems unfortunate.

It is unfortunate. Even Saddam's palaces are beautiful structures I hate to see destroyed. It is a mess without immediate cure. I hope our people, and our press, can be patient that this is not a known situation we have practiced before. The infrastructure for law and order over there is all but *gone*. The best minds we have are trying to figure out how to handle this, but they will not be able to prevent broken plates. At least they aren't killing each other... yet, and that potential certainly exists. Our people will have the beginnings of a process soon. Hopefully it will be soon enough!

[atomic conspiracy]

Ever since Gulf War 1, the totalitarian-left dominated Cultural Anthropology establishment in the United States has cited possible damage to antiquities as a reason for avoiding any kind of decisive action against the Saddam regime. This has been a regular and very shrill theme in Archeology magazine and many others. Given that background, and with Al Reuters as the source, I think a healthy dose of skepticism is called for here.

[x1stcav]

Something's not quite right with this. If the items in the museum were protected by bank-like vault doors, how did the looters get in in the first place?

In any event I'm not particularly bothered by this.

As General franks said, I think our troops have more pressing concerns than dealing with looters.

[YOMO]

deputy director Nabhal Amin blamed U.S. troops, who have controlled Baghdad since the collapse of President Saddam Hussein's rule on Wednesday, for failing to heed appeals from museum staff to protect it from looters who moved in to the building on Friday. "The Americans were supposed to protect the museum. If they had just one tank and two soldiers nothing like this would have happened," she said. "I hold the American troops responsible for what happened to this museum." .................................
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Lady, lighten up already. Our troops are fighting a war and watching for Crazies trying to kill them. While it is indeed unfortunate that your stuff was looted and the losses are in the Billions, it is not worth the loss of a single US Military person. We are taking over the Government, feeding the people, restoring electricity, water, supplying hospitals, and other work that keeps people alive.

[Lael]

Iraq, a cradle of civilization long before the empires of Egypt, Greece or Rome, was home to dynasties that created agriculture and writing and built the cities of Nineveh, Nimrud and Babylon -- site of Nebuchadnezzar's Hanging Gardens

Makes perfect sense to me...while children were dying because Saddam hogged [PIGGED OUT!!!] on 'UN Oil for Food' $$$$$$$$$$$$$, 60+ % of Iraqi's lived on table scraps. All the while he rebuilt Babylon!!!

Those who couldn't forsee this 'looting' of the Antiquities Museum truly couldn't translate "The [hand]Writing on the Wall!"

BTW, the Kurds just entered Nineveh [Mosul], but withdrew under pressure from the Turks.

[syriacus]

"The Americans were supposed to protect the museum. If they had just one tank and two soldiers nothing like this would have happened," she said. "I hold the American troops responsible for what happened to this museum." [snip]
Amin told four of the museum guards to carry guns and protect what remained.

Why didn't she arm her guards earlier?

I hope some official checks to see if she or some of her friends now have some of the pieces.

[RonHolzwarth]

The loss of the antiquities collection will be Saddam's one lasting legacy -

which will be remembered for thousands of years.

[ex-Texan]

I beg to differ. Most likely the raid was carried out by Saddam's black shirted thugs disguised as "angry citizens." I believe the "mob" was acting under orders. We will get back some of the stolen treasures eventually.

But the damage has been done.

[mass55th]

Nabhal Amin wept...

Did she cry when Iraq looted Kuwait's antiquities during the Gul War?

[TC Rider]

They blamed U.S. troops for not protecting the treasures.

The way the article is written, it seems that the looters are blaming the troops.

[macamadamia]

Yes. If this is not a case of Karma biting them in the ass, I don't know what is. S.H. starved, brutalized and slaughtered while precious treasures worth "billions" were safeguarded. Now, Iraqis are free and Iraqi treasures are no more. There's something biblical about this.

[HairOfTheDog]

The loss of the antiquities collection will be Saddam's one lasting legacy - which will be remembered for thousands of years.

Well, it won't be considered Saddam's legacy really, but I get your point, and I disagree that the things are lost. If these things were stolen, it will be for their value. They will be traded up and appear on open markets for sale. Some things will be lost for a long time, but that will increase their intrique and value when found. Plundering of artifacts is not new, I think the antiquities trade depends on it over the years... It started with grave robbers ;~D.

[per loin]

The museum director and top staff should be prosecuted for failure to protect such national treasures.

[Nebullis]

Looting likely done by Syrians, Jordanians, and Egyptians.