I hope you're not talking about Mesopotamian culture. Here are a few things to consider over dinner tonight.
That restaurant menu? Thank the Sumerians. They invented writing, and apparently ALL other writing systems in use today took their lead from the Sumerian example and its derivatives. (Even Chinese: Mesopotamian domesticates appeared in China before the advent of writing.)
That cheeseburger you ordered? The meat and the cheese came from cows that descend from the ones domesticated in Mesopotamia. The same goes for the wheat in the bun, and the sesame seeds on top.
That glass of beer? Mesopotamia again: barley was domesticated there, and beer was invented there. The oldest recipe known is a Sumerian recipe for beer.
If Mesopotamian culture was a failure, then our culture is a failure, because our culture could not have existed without it; our agriculture and our writing came ultimately from there. Any cultural heritage that has been lost in Iraq is OUR cultural heritage.