Large traces of Iraqi, world history wiped out

Al Jazeera ^ | April 14, 2003 | K S Dakshina Murthy

[WaveThatFlag]

When mobs in Baghdad entered the Iraqi national museum and destroyed the artifacts, little did they know that they were wiping out large traces of history. Not just of Iraq, but that of the entire world.

So, when the museum deputy director Nabhal Amin openly wailed and cried in anguish it was perfectly understandable. She picked up the broken pieces of the artifacts, her helplessness on display for the entire world to see. "They have looted or destroyed 170,000 items of antiquity dating back thousands of years...They were worth billions of dollars," she said, sobbing.

The museum grounds were full of smashed doors, windows and littered with office paperwork and books.

Twenty eight galleries of the museum and vaults with thick steel doors were ransacked through Thursday and Friday with almost no intervention by the US troops. A 4000-year-old copper visage of an Akkadian king, golden bowls, colossal statues and ancient manuscripts were all looted and destroyed.

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

Iraq, a cradle of civilisation 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.

On the eve of the invasion in March, archaeologists around the world had warned the US government it had a responsibility to ensure the safety of Iraq’s heritage, of the remnants of the Mesopotamian civilization. To no avail.

The museum deputy director blamed the US troops for failing to heed appeals from museum staff to protect it from looters. "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 plundering was ruthless. "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.

According to archaeologists, a full accounting of what has been lost may take weeks or months. The only hope now is that at least some of the museum's priceless gold, silver and copper antiquities, ancient stone and ceramics, and perhaps some of its fabled bronzes and gold-overlaid ivory had been locked away for safekeeping elsewhere before the looting.

During the first Gulf war in 1991, nine of Iraq's 13 regional museums were plundered. Fortunately, the Baghdad museum was spared because the war did not replace the government and policing of the city was not disrupted. The museum incidentally, had been closed during much of the 1990s, and had been reopened only in April 2000.

The museum’s deputy director has now asked the guards to keep guns and protect whatever remains -- a case of “too little too late” ?

[rogue yam]

The Russians, French, Germans, Belgians, British, Dutch, Austrians and Italians managed to secure the larger part of their art and history before they were invaded. I would submit that the previous rulers of Iraq cared less for their heritage and more for their skins.

So far, the only version of this whole story we have is from people who enjoyed a highly favorable position under the murderer's dictatorship. I wonder how much of this stuff is in the possession of Baath officials now sneaking their way to and through Syria. Loot the stuff and then blame its absence on the invading infidels? Wouldn't surprise me.

[Stone Mountain]

In the News/Activism forum, on a thread titled Large traces of Iraqi, world history wiped out, vetvetdoug wrote: How is it that a population with a religion that is so willing to die for a Jihad and practice religion so fervently is so willing to steal that which does not belong to them? I think the moslem population is riddled with hypocrits and ignorant ragheads that have no honor or faith.

Because God knows we have no Christians who would steal anything that which does not belong to them...

[Stone Mountain]

If I was in charge of "treasures beyond replacement", I would worked out some arrangement to keep the stuff safe during and after the conflict.

Worked out an arrangement with who? How?

[Republicus2001]

while the museum director looked on passively, Saddam ruled with evil over the land. When the freed people finally were awaken the museum was kicked aside. Memo to Museum directors: IF YOU CAN'T MANAGE YOUR COLLECTIONS - GET OUT! I'd sure like to read the directors warnings of the cultural plundering of HUMANITY while he drew his checks. The hell with artifacts when people are beings killed in the name of the state. Iraq has been a dead culture for a long time. Just another clubhouse of thugs from the Cradle of Civilization.

[Republicus2001]

Relax all, the "stuff" will come back. It always does.

[Republicus2001]

Nabbie knew for months her precious treasures might be harmed in a war so SHE should have shipped them away for safe keeping instead of blaming us.
BINGO! WINNER! It was her unprofessionalism that caused the loss! A side note is the interesting history of the Chinese National Collection on Taiwan. These Chinese antiquities have survived numerous raids and just moving the mammoth collection off the mainland to evade Mao's cultural revolution is just one of the stories...

[stripes1776]

Where were the human shields? Shouldn't they have camped out at the museums and libraries, protecting civilization? You just can't find a good human shield when you need one.

[jriemer]

If Russert is going to start holding Rumsfeld to such a high standard of protecting the treasures of the Iraqi ancient culture, he and his eurocentric pals should check out some of the collections of the largest Western museums first.

One of the world's most famous museums has in its collection artwork and sculpture The British Museum - Greek Exhibit that was stolen outright from the Partheon by a British Diplomat . This theft was done during peace time and there has been never been any discussion about when these pieces would return to Greece.

"Cultural treasures" have been plundered and traded more often than one would like to think even in our enlightened age. Why hold Coalition forces in near-war zone to a higher standard that the cultural and intellectual elites of Europe and North America cannot maintain while surrounded by domestic traquility?

Russert's question is the latest lame flyswatter attempt to denigrate the remarkable liberation the Iraqi people are experiencing. Remember, there are people in this world who earnestly believe that not everyone can nor should be free.

[FireTrack]

"Large traces of Iraqi, world history wiped out"

Live in the past and not live to see the future...

[HamiltonJay]

Yet another victim of the Saddam Regime...

[Bernard]

Both sides. (20-20 hindsight, if I was convinced that Iraq would repel the infidels.) The point is that if this stuff was so valuable, they should have done more to protect it.

[hnorris]

"They have looted or destroyed 170,000 items of antiquity dating back thousands of years...They were worth billions of dollars"

So these hundreds of thousands of items were taken overnight, by mobs of peasants, who have no way to sell them to the international black market?

Right...

We all know Saddam and his boys loaded up, ransacked the place for good measure, and paid some ruffians to go in and loot whatever was left for Al-Jazzera and CNN cameras.

[Torie]

Pathetic performance Rummy. Why don't you take a deep breath, and just say that you screwed up? Because you most certainly did. Russert was too easy on you.

[aruanan]

When mobs in Baghdad entered the Iraqi national museum and destroyed the artifacts, little did they know that they were wiping out large traces of history. Not just of Iraq, but that of the entire world.

More likely:

"When mobs in Baghdad entered the Iraqi national museum and destroyed the copies of the artifacts on display, little did they know that they were wiping out copies of large traces of history. Not just of Iraq, but that of the entire world."

[CyberAnt]

Rush said this morning, "I wonder how long it will take for these Iraqi antiquities to show up in the Louve in Paris". Whoever took them knows their value, because they also took the ledger book which shows what the items are worth.

Also, what I noticed was that in all the other LOOTED buildings and offices, the people left a mess. However, in the museum, it was just neatly empty. I noticed that right away - there was no mess, just empty shelves. Interesting ??

[michigander]

Pathetic performance Rummy. Why don't you take a deep breath, and just say that you screwed up? Because you most certainly did. Russert was too easy on you.

Oh please!
You obviously have a case that you wish to present that supports your view.

Do it.

[jwh_Denver]

When mobs in Baghdad entered the Iraqi national museum and destroyed the artifacts, little did they know that they were wiping out large traces of history.

Arab creed #1: Why tell the truth when you can lie?

Has anybody seen a list of what was supposedly taken or destroyed? I believe the really valuable stuff was hidden and may never surface to pin this lie on the US. And how about this whining wench who had no clue that a war was coming and in war whether accidently or not things get broken?

[Torie]

You can read this thread if you have any further interest in the matter. Rumsfeld's insouciant attitude as to this catastropic cultural loss simply engages me.

[rundy]

They were worth billions of dollars," she said, sobbing.

Well, I guess we have the first estimate of the value of freedom!!!

[the Deejay]

"For the most part these people are looting garbage. Everywhere are pictures of ragged Iraqis carting off cheap crap. Office chairs, old computers. Doors. Wire. Garbage."

Yeah. I noticed that, too. It looked like anything worth taking were in the palaces and some of that looked rather cheapish as well.