The Iraq National Museum in Baghdad was looted in April 2003, shortly after the American-led forces took the city. An estimated 15,000 artifacts from the ancient civilizations of Babylon and Mesopotamia were stolen: culprits are believed to have included agents from the international antiquities market. About 7,000 artifacts taken from the museum have been returned since then, some as early as late April 2003. In January 2005, three cylinder seals were confiscated by US Customs and returned to Iraq. In December 2005, 36 artifacts were recovered from the Iraqi black market.
The museum is still not open to the public, despite three formal re-openings. Italy’s National Research Center created a virtual exhibit of the museum and many of the archaeologiccal sites in Iraq. In November 2009, Google announced plans to make artifact photos of the museum collection available.
Why Nominate the Iraq National Museum?
The news stories about the looting brought attention to the international trade in artifact looting, and highlighted the long-term effects of the Iraq conflict on the people of ancient Persia.
Additional Reading
- About.com Guide to Mesopotamia
- Virtual Museum of Iraq, Flash presentation of the museum from the Italy’s National Research Center.
- Zainab Bahrani on the Looting of Iraq National Museum
- BBC Arabic investigates the looting of Iraqi National Museum, Global Arab Network, 14 December 2009.
- Google to put Iraqi museum online, Al Jazeera, 24 November 2009
- Google Chief Announces Plan in Baghdad to Put Iraqi Artifacts Online , New York Times, 25 November 2009
