UNESCO Cultural Heritage Mission to Baghdad, May 16–20, 2003

AIA PUBLICATIONS AND NEW MEDIA

A Personal Account of the First UNESCO Cultural Heritage Mission to Baghdad, May 16–20, 2003

JOHN M. RUSSELL, PROFESSOR OF ART HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY MASSACHUSETTS COLLEGE OF ART, BOSTON, USA

In mid-May 2003 I was invited to participate in the first UNESCO mission to Iraq to assess the impact of the recent war on cultural heritage. For security reasons, ORHA (the U.S. Pen- tagon Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance), which was in charge of admin- istration in postwar Iraq, insisted that the group be kept small and that the mission be con- fined to Baghdad. The text that follows is cobbled together from the report I wrote for UNESCO after the mission and from the personal diary I kept there, and illustrated with my amateur trip photos. Although by now (August) there have been small improvements in some aspects of the situation as described here, the report is of interest as the first outside assessment of the condition of the Iraq Museum immediately after the war, and in most re- spects it reflects the situation still facing cultural heritage and people in Baghdad.

Wednesday, May 14th, and Thursday, May 15th Here’s a bit about my trip. I didn’t know I was going for sure on Wednesday, and didn’t really find out until 4:50 that afternoon, when the authorization for my Kuwaiti visa came through, just before the college fax machine closed. I’d been told we were flying into Baghdad from Kuwait, so had already made a reservation for that day to Kuwait. At 4:30, I’d decided there was no way I was going that day, but would wait until the following day, as it was just too late to go home and pack and get back to the airport to pick up my ticket by 7 p.m., when the Continental ticket counter closes. But at 5 p.m. I decided to try, and just made it to the ticket counter at 6:50, and then to my flight on Virgin later that evening. The flight was fine and I got into Heathrow on schedule early Thursday morning, stood in line for an hour to check into my Kuwait Air flight, and went to the gate, only to find the UNESCO director of the mission, Mounir Bouchenaki, waiting there for Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum, who was booked on the same flight. He had flown to London from Paris to tell MacGregor that our arrangements had changed and we were flying to Amman instead. By great luck, I was going through Heathrow, too, which no one knew since I hadn’t had time to tell UNESCO my itinerary, but I recognized Bouchenaki and so saved myself an unnecessary trip to Kuwait! We retrieved our Kuwait tickets eventually and bought new ones for Amman on a flight at 5 p.m. and then killed time in the airport for the day. We got into Amman at midnight and learned that our flight the next day to Baghdad didn’t exist and that we’d have to wait until Saturday morning to fly to Baghdad.

Friday, May 16th We spent Friday morning on a great tour of Amman, courtesy of the UNESCO staff in Amman, and had a traditional Arabic lunch under a tent at a pretty nice place. Then we went back to the hotel, the Intercontinental, which was very plush, to rest and ran into Tony Wilkinson (professor of archaeology at the University of Chicago), who was just returning

August 2003 The First UNESCO Cultural Heritage Mission to Baghdad by the Archaeological Institute of America Copyright © 2003 from his National Geographic tour of northern Iraq. He had dinner with our group and told 2 The First UNESCO Cultural Heritage Mission to Baghdad two peopleinthem,andallcars maintainradio groups oftwoormorecars,each withatleast ious toprotectitspeople,so we onlygooutin now untilsomeorderisrestored. TheUNisanx- tarian programs,whichisall it’s tryingtodo have allottedtheUNanyfuel torunitshumani- parently hastodothis,astheUSseemsnot you onlygetacertainamount.EventheUNap- the gasstations,andwhenyougettopump, way. Gasisahugeproblem,with8-hourlinesat very muchastheyplease,drivingeverywhich (no electricity)ortrafficpolice,sodriversdo breaking down,andtherearenotrafficsignals fic hastofunnelintotheothers.Also,carskeep some ofthemainbridgesaredamaged,sotraf- city. Themainproblemseemedtobethatoneor huge trafficjamofpeopletryingtogetintothe blown-out shells(fig.3). vehicles andartillerypieces,butthey’reall Iraqi tanksaround,too,aswellothertracked tered aroundthecity(fig.2).Therearealotof parked infrontofthemuseumandothersscat- real Abramstanks,andtherearetwomore us ontheroad,whichwepassed.Thesewere and therewasanothercruisingalonginfrontof big tanksguardingtheentrancetoairport, in Boston,forexample.Therewereacoupleof around BaghdadthanI’maccustomedtoseeing voy todrivethecamp.Therearemoretanks tary checkedusin,andwegotinoursmallcon- here. Welandedinthemainairportbutdebarkedatcargoterminal,whereUSmili- dan (fig.1).IthadourgroupofsixpeopleplusthedirectorUNICEF.UNICEFisverybusy Saturday, May 17th ket. Museumisnowunder24-hourmilitaryguard,andthishasstoppedthelooting. from upperregisterstolen.Thislastpiececouldbeworth$10milliononthelegitimatemar- away tofacilitatecuttingfreeofheadonS-20(unsuccessful);slabI-9hadkneelingfigure top centerfragmentwithwingeddiskwasstolen;S-19,oftreeoncornerslabbroken rently beingusedbyUNgroupsinthearea. treatment. ConservatorscouldstayatnearbyNinevehpalacehotel,whichissafeandcur- before autumnrains.Remainingsculpturesandwallsneedcomprehensiveconservation after dark—guardneedstobeincreased24hour.Sheetmetalroofreplaced intervention. Museumisonlyguardedfrom8a.m.top.m.bymilitary,soplundererscome sionals. protection. Museumneedsacarefulthree-dayassessmentvisitbyqualifiedheritageprofes- unit notfarfromthemuseummightberedeployedatfrontandbackoffor bands fromBalawatwerestolen.Conditionofstoreroomisnotknown.Americanmilitary In theAssyriangallery,afewinscribedbricksandsomesectionsofbronzegate gotten thisinformationinsuchdetail.Hismostsignificantobservationswere: ourselves, thischancemeetingwasanotherbitofgoodluck,sinceotherwisewe’dnothave us aboutNineveh,Nimrud,Mosul,andothersites.Aswewereunabletovisittheseareas On thetripfromairportwegotintoa I flewtoBaghdadonSaturdayasmalltwin-proppassengerplanefromAmman,Jor- Nimrud: AssurnasirpalIIPalacesitemuseum,summaryoflooting:sculpturedslabB-13, Nineveh: SennacheribPalacesitemuseumisneartotaldestructionandneedsimmediate Mosul Museum:SculpturesintheHatragalleryweresmashedbutapparentlynotstolen. Fig. 2.OneofthetanksinfrontIraq Museum(©J.Russell) Baghdad (©J.Russell) Fig. 1.Oursuitcasesbeingunloadedwithaforkliftatthecargoterminalin 3 The First UNESCO Cultural Heritage Mission to Baghdad Fig. 5.Ourtent,thirdfromtheleft(©J.Russell) Fig. 3.DestroyedIraqitank(©J.Russell) ranked inorderofurgency: and inpartonourownpriorassessmentofthegeneralsituationIraq.Thepointsare following listofissuesbasedinpartonourinterviewwithTonyWilkinsonthedaybefore rival. WedescribedtheUNESCOmissiongoalsandsharedinitialconcerns,particularly pound, wherehemetusshortlyafterourar- ORHA. ThefirstmeetingwasattheUNcom- newly-appointed administratorofculturefor twice withAmbassadorPietroCordone,the OK. place is town, sincewe’reprettyisolatedhere,butthis there isone,I’dprefertostayinarealhotel doesn’t, whichisalotofthetime.Nexttime,if we haveelectricitywhentherestofcity (much quieterthantheoneatTellAhmar!),so complain istooloudbutwhichIbarelyhear They alsohaveagenerator,whichsomepeople satellite dishforInternet,soIcanuseemail. style, andischeapgood,theyhavea just aftergettinginbed.Thefoodiscafeteria- first nightIhadabitoftroublegoingtosleepsinceheardsomegunfirenottoofaraway isn’t toonice,butthetoiletsandsinksareinaregularbathroomhotelbuilding.The time, butitgetsniceandcoolatnight.Theshoweriscoldwateronlyinatrailer,which and anairconditioner(fig.5).Thehastroublebeatingtheheatinday- During thecourseofourmission,wemet antiquitiesreturn amnestyshouldbeaug- • CentralBankofBaghdadvault:keepwater • patrol archaeologicalsitesandestablish • group gotitsowntentwithsixIkea-stylebeds offices, andthepeopleliveinbigtents.Our hotel buildingattheUNplace,butit’susedfor UN workerstostayinregularhotels.Thereisa ation hereisn’tthoughttobesafeenoughfor where wehavetostaybecausethesecuritysitu- the CanalHotel,innorthpartofBaghdad, ade asUNpeopleinstolenvehicles(fig.4). using nowbluesothatrobberscan’tmasquer- forced themtohaverepainttheonesthey’re hicles werelootedafterthefighting,which ited fuel,andpartlybecausemanyoftheirve- ates afewofitsvehicles,partlybecauselim- contact withthecamp.TheUNalsoonlyoper- procurevehiclesforAntiquitiesDepartment • establishstabletelephoneandemailcommu- • paytheAntiquitiesDepartmentstaff,espe- • We drovetotheUnitedNationscompound, staff salariesarestable mented withsmallmonetary rewards,after taken toprotectNimrudgold ate securityandconservation measuresare pumped out,butdonotopen untilappropri- guards topreventlooting offices throughoutIraq nication withmuseum staff inBaghdad received the$20interimpaymentgivento cially inthenorth,wheretheyhadnoteven Fig. 4.UNvehiclesinoldandnewcolors(©J.Russell) 4 The First UNESCO Cultural Heritage Mission to Baghdad Fig. 7. Bassetki statue’s display case, withits side smashed(©J. Russell) the war(©J.Russell) Fig. 6.Sumeriangallerywithdisplaycasesemptiedforprotectionbefore turned pedestal(fig.9).Other targetsfortheftwere the footofWarkavase,still attachedtoitsover- down thestairs(figs.7,8).We alsosawtheremainsof steps wherethelootershadapparently draggedit weighs severalhundredpounds, andatrailofcracked display casethathadheldthe Bassetkistatue,which as theWarkavase.Wesawsmashedsideof that werepermanentlyattachedtotheirdisplays,such the AkkadiancopperstatuefromBassetki,andthose those thatweretoolargeorfragiletomove,suchas (fig. 6).Theonlypiecesthatremainedbehindwere from thegalleriestosafelocationspriorwar of thepublicareasmuseum: sulting fromthe2003warandthentookusonatour us ontheextentofdestructiontoheritageinIraqre- Mutawalli (directorofmuseums,SBAH).Theybriefed tor ofresearchandstudies,SBAH),Dr.Nawalaal- ties andHeritage[SBAH]),Dr.DonnyGeorge(direc- Jaber Khalil(directorgeneral,StateBoardofAntiqui- system inthemuseum. to beelectricitywhenweneededitduringourvisits.Thereisnopermanentcommunication the electricitysupplywasatmuseum,orifthereaback-upgenerator—thereseemed guard andrazorwireatthegate,soldierslivinginlibrary.Icouldnottellhowreliable seemed secureatthetimeofourvisit,withtwoAbramstanksparkedoutfront,amilitary Public galleries:Mostobjectshadbeenremoved Upon ourarrivalatthemuseum,wemetwithDr. ways wemightbeofassistance.Thebuilding third visitwastosaygoodbyeandinquireabout room, thestoragerooms,andlibrary.The the conservationwing,incomingobjects ministrative offices.Thesecondvisitfocusedon On thefirstvisitwetouredgalleriesandad- cus ofourmission,andwevisiteditthreetimes. situation intheIraqMuseumwasprimaryfo- we drovetotheIraqMuseum.Ascertaining these officialswasconfirmedbyORHA. this processwascompleteandtheauthorityof ter intoagreementswithanyIraqiofficialsuntil government positions.Hecautionedusnottoen- order todeterminewhocouldremainintheir volvement ofAntiquitiesDepartmentofficials,in was toinvestigatetheextentofBaathpartyin- turn informedusthathisfirstchargefromORHA Assur:seeklowwaterlevelforproposed • ensurethatappropriatearchaeological • Khorsabad andTellBilla:removeunexploded • After ourmeetingwithAmbassadorCordone, Ambassador Cordonewasreceptive,andin archaeological surveyandsalvageoperation dam projectorcancelit;mountappropriate air bases expand orimprovetheTellAfarandTalil projects, includingimminentconstructionto survey andsalvageprecedesallconstruction ordnance was apparentlydraggeddown(©J.Russell) Fig. 8.BrokenstairswheretheBassetkistatue 5 The First UNESCO Cultural Heritage Mission to Baghdad and arestillmissing(figs.10,11).Anumberofobjectsthatweren’tstolenweredamaged,in- quently recovered,andthedisplayofcuneiform-inscribedbricks,whichninewerestolen the displayofobjectsfromNinhursagtempleatal-Ubaid,mostwhichweresubse- Russell) Fig. 12. Three terracotta lionstatues, possiblyfrom Tell Diniyah(©J. (© J.Russell) Ubaid. Onlyacopperreliefofbullisstillmissing. Fig. 10.ObjectsfromtheNinhursagtempleatal- tal (©J.Russell) Fig. 9.RestoredfootoftheWarkavase,stillattachedtoitsdisplaypedes- and 10hadbeenrecoveredasofJuly28.] 584), 40objectswerestolenfromthepublicgalleries, Fig. 11.Displayofcuneiform-inscribedbricks(©J.Russell) to confirm thesenumbers.[According jority (423)areintact.Ididnottryto (28) werebroken,butthegreatma- ing toBogdanos,somedisplaycases 15 moreweredamaged.Alsoaccord- 9 weresubsequentlyrecovered,and 42 suchobjectswerestolen,ofwhich military’s investigationofthelooting, Bogdanos, theofficerinchargeof mitted todaybyColonelMatthew 12, 13).Accordingtothereportsub- heading withabluntinstrument(figs. Hatra, whosufferedanattemptedbe- Harmal-type lionandawomanfrom cluding aparticularlyfierce-looking Science Fig. 13.StatueofawomanfromHatra(©J. Russell) magazine (1Aug.03,p. 6 The First UNESCO Cultural Heritage Mission to Baghdad stroyed bypinpointbombing(©J.Russell) Fig. 15. Telecommunications(?) building, de- Fig. 14.Administrativeoffice(©J.Russell) generator, butthenthenextnight looterswill might repairsomemalfunctioning partofa smokestack wasoperating(fig. 19).TheUS four smokestacks,andevery timeonlyone times wedrovepastahugepowerplant with how togetitrestoredadequately. Several ports inthemedia,nooneseemstoknow war capacity,anddespitetheoptimisticre- tricity isavailable,butonlyatafractionofpre- this isasenseIsharewiththeBaghdadis.Elec- semblance ofnormalityanytimesoon,and couldn’t—just howextensivethedestructionhereis.Thetalkofacleancampaignthatwould antiquities withsomuchelsegoingon.Youprobablycan’timaginefromthemedia—IknowI doesn’t thinkit’ssafeforustotraveloutofthecitythistrip.Butnotpossiblefocusjuston Sunday, May 18th trative officestoafunctionallevelarethemosturgentprioritiesformuseum. George, establishingreliablesatelliteInternetandphoneservice,restoringtheadminis- Our jobistoassesstheconditionofmuseumsandlibrariesinBaghdaditself,sinceUN can returntoany to imaginehowlife is almostimpossible destruction isthatit The resultofallthis tude ofthedisaster. anger atthemagni- being indespairor the Baghdadisfor it lookshere. think themediahascomeanywhereclosetocapturingjusthowbad like anyotherbombedcityyoumighthaveseenphotosof.Idon’t ruin (fig.18).It’snotlikeHiroshimaorDresden,butdoeslookalot which looksbrilliantlyunscathedagainstthegeneralbackdropof miraculously sufferedlittlephysicaldamage,andtheMinistryofOil, buildings, justabouteverylargebuildingexceptthemuseum,which ing, butalsoshoppingcenters,apartmentblocks,thelibraries,office but they’reallcharredshells.Thisincludeseverygovernmentbuild- 15, 16,17).Mostofthesebuildingsarestillstandingtosomedegree, stroyed bybombs,blastedtanks,orburnedoutlooters(figs. qis wasabunchofbaloney.Ineveryblockarehugebuildingsde- leave theinfrastructureintacttobehandedoverliberatedIra- I wouldn’tblame need ofconservation.AccordingtoDonny have sufferedextensivedamageandarebadlyin burned, andtakentotheIraqMuseum.Many neers, bothofwhichwerelootedbutnot Modern ArtandtheMuseumofIraqiPio- were rescuedfromtheNationalMuseumof erable numberofpaintings(perhaps200).These rooms intheadministrativeareawereaconsid- be safe.Stackedagainstthewallsoftwolarge need tobereplaced.Theobjectregisterissaid eras. Mostdoorshavebeenbrokendownand ture andequipment,suchascomputerscam- 14). Allofficesarecompletelyemptiedoffurni- Administrative offices:Theseareamess(fig. (© J.Russell) Fig. 16.Buildingdestroyedbybombing(?) andshelling 7 The First UNESCO Cultural Heritage Mission to Baghdad Fig. 18.MinistryofOil(©J.Russell) Fig. 17.Buildingdestroyedbylootingandburning(©J.Russell) harp fromUr(brokenandstripped ofitsgold public galleriesduringthelooting, includingthe damaged objectsthatwerestill ondisplayinthe was beingusedasthetemporary locationfor completely trashed.Atthetime ofourvisit,it way totheconservationlab. It hadalsobeen cessed andasaholdingareaforobjectsontheir into themuseumfromexcavationsarepro- mally usedastheplacewhereobjectscoming and stafftrainingbroughtuptodate. mess, buttheentirelabneedstobereequipped, the directorofconservation,hascleanedup important archiveoftablets.MuthenaMuslim, ently resultedinthedestructionofatleastone sors onthekilnsareinaccurate,whichhasappar- firing tablets.Atpresentthetemperaturesen- equipment remainingisascanningelectronmicroscopethatdoesn’twork,andfourkilnsfor dumped onthefloorandportableequipment,suchasmicroscopes,wasstolen.Theonly cupying onelonghallway.Allofithasbeentrashedbylooters.Chemicalswerestolenor to haveanotherperspectivebesidestheonebeingpromotedbymilitary. the onlyonebesidesIraqiswhohasseenstorageareas,soIthoughtitmightbegood investigation intothemuseum,finishedhistourthereandfiledreport.He’sjustabout into thestorageareas.YesterdayColonelBogdanos,whohasbeeninchargeofmilitary turn todayandaskifwecouldgowherenoonehadgonebefore,oralmostone,namely Incoming objectsroom:Thisroomisnor- Conservation lab:ThisareaismuchlargerthanIexpected—sixorsevenlargeroomsoc- not withaspecialist’seye.Sowedecidedtore- been prettywellcoveredbythepress,although them, whichwasverysad,butthatareahas public galleriestoseewhathadbeendone a secondvisit.Yesterdaywewalkedthroughthe to continueoperatingthisbusafterweleave. ious toseehowthatworks.TheUNhasagreed these womenbackandforth,they’reanx- Chicago) havearrangedforabustotransport from NY,andMcGuireGibson(Universityof for afewhours.Selmaal-Radi,whowashere rector, butthosewhowillcomeinonlystay inventory underthedirectionofmuseumdi- seum, wherefemalestudentsarecompilingthe any time.Thisisoneoftheproblemsatmu- at all,sincetheyfeelvulnerabletokidnapping looting starts.Mostwomenwon’tcometowork der nottogetcaughtonthestreetswhen town trytoleaveforhomearound3p.m.inor- ers intheUNcompoundandeverywhereelse wasn’t goingtobethemilitarycommanders. gin restoringorder,andifsomeonehadtogo,it they northemilitarycouldfigureouthowtobe- and hiscrewwerereplaced,becauseneither of lawandorder.IexpectthatiswhyGarner seems toagreethatthebiggestproblemislack ently aren’tadequatelyguarded.Everyone disable itagain,sincethepowerplantsappar- This morningwereturnedtothemuseumfor One resultofthechaosisthatofficework- Fig. 19.Powerplant(©J.Russell) 8 The First UNESCO Cultural Heritage Mission to Baghdad Fig. 22.IvorycarvingfromNimrud(©J.Russell) Fig. 21.SkullfromUr(©J.Russell) Fig. 20.HarpfromUr(©J.Russell) recovered.] magazine stoodat2,703,ofwhich 2,169hadsubsequentlybeen the numberofitemsknown to havebeenstolenfromtheold [According to sumably afterthestoragearea hadbeenopenedbythelooters. look out(fig.25,26).Itisnot clear whenthiswasused,butpre- was thesiteofasniper’snest.Iphotographeditandclimbed upto light thatfacilitatedtheworkoflooters.Onethesewindows their boxes.Theroomhasslitwindows,whichprovidednatural from it.Ithousesdozens,ifnothundreds,ofTorahscrolls and located directlyabovethefirstfloorroomandaccessibleonly were stolenfromshelvesinthisroom.Theupperstoreroom is Science magazine (1Aug.03,p.584), asofJuly28 of replicasandfakes, considerable number objects, includinga boxes. Manyother returned totheir been inventoriedand these objectshad of themuseum,said al-Mutawalli, director these boxes.Nawala plundered. Notabletsorcylindersealswerein had beendumpedonthefloorbylootersand which hadbeenregisteredbutnotyetputaway, Seleucia, andAqarQuf(fig.24).Theseobjects, tions atsitesreportedlyincludingHarba,Wilaya, on thefloorcontainedfindsfrom2002excava- looting occurred.Anumberofmetalfootlockers the firstfloor,hadbeencleanedupsince where allthetabletsarekept. and asecond-floorareaintheoldbuilding undisturbed—the othertwobasementrooms age areaswedidn’tseethatweretold the storeroom(fig.23).Therewerethreestor- blocking wall,throughwhichtheyclimbedinto closely) andbrokeasmallholeatthetopof seemed undamaged,althoughIdidn’tlook The lootersopenedthemetalvaultdoor(which abandoned doorwaythathadbeenwalledup. through anactivedoor,butrather been enteredbylooters,whogainedaccessnot store roomsinthebasement.Threeofthesehad to thisarea.Inaddition,therearefiveconnected We noticednodamagetothemetalvaultdoor two-story areaconnectedbyaspiralstaircase. of theseroomscomprisethe“oldmagazine,”a were missingfromatleastthreeofthese.Two in themuseumhadbeenbrokeninto,anditems room. a womanfromWarkawasstolenthis ries (figs.20,21,22).Thefamousmarblefaceof woman fromUr,andanumberofNimrudivo- covering), theformerlybejeweledskullofa Old magazine:Thelowerroom,enteredfrom Museum storage:Fiveofeightstorageareas way breachedbylooters(©J.Russell) Fig. 23.Basementstorerooms,walled-up door- 9 The First UNESCO Cultural Heritage Mission to Baghdad from sniper’s nest(©J. Russell) view ofmuseumgroundsandstreet Fig. 26.Oldmagazine,upperlevel, (© J.Russell) Fig. 24.Oldmagazine,lowerlevel,metalfootlockersholding2002finds quently overturnedandscatteredduringthe wooden traystodryout.Theseweresubse- with them,sosheputuntreated,inopen saturated bywaterandmoldforhertowork flooded toadepthof10–15cm.Theyweretoo sump pumpsstoppedworkingandthefloor lockers onthefloorofthisroom,when age duringthe1990swhilestoredinmetalfoot- servation, theseivorieshadsufferedwaterdam- cording toMuthenaMuslim,thedirectorofcon- Nimrud ivorieswerescatteredonthefloor.Ac- able numberofwoodentrayswater-damaged turbed, exceptnearthedoor,whereaconsider- The firstbasementroomwasnotbadlydis- missing willtakemonths,ifnotwelloverayear. completing aninventorytodeterminewhatis rooms housemanythousandsofobjects,so how disruptedithadoriginallybeen.These and stinkylight.Thisareahadbeencleanedupafterthelooting,soitwasnotpossibletotell missing. Objectstorageinthis room,andeverywhere,isincardboard and checkingeachcardagainst theobjectsonshelvestoseewhatis going throughtheentirecard inventory,reportedlysome170,000cards, on thefloorofthisroomcarrying outtheinventoryofobjects.Thisinvolves the timeofourvisit,femalestudents fromBaghdadUniversitywereseated they lostthekeysindark andsowereunabletoopenthecabinets.At evidence thattheywereprofessionalswithsomeinsideknowledge, but Bogdanos’s report,thelootershadkeystosealandcoin cabinets,strong locked cabinetshere,butwasreportedlyundisturbed.According toColonel the collectiontoknowwheresealswere.Thecoin isalsoin easy preyforthelooters,whoapparentlyhadenoughinformation about stored). Theyhadnotyetbeenputintothecabinets,however, andsowere storage inlockedcabinets(wheresealsaccessionedafter1991 werealready safety. In2000theyweremovedintothebasementstore room foreventual seals. Justpriortothe1991warthesehadbeenmoved a securefacilityfor of cylindersealsaccessionedintothemuseumpriorto1991, atotalof4,795 cylinder seals.Themostseriouslossfromthisroomwasthe entirecollection the theftofastill-unknownnumbersmallobjects,includingjewelryand this areamayconcealfurtherdamagedobjects. ther aggravatinganalreadymajorconservationemergency.Otherlitterin looting ofthestoreroom,fur- The secondbasementroomseemstohavebeenthemostdisturbed,with their work.Thismusthavebeenafleeting,dim, floor invariouslocationstoprovidelightfor had usedfoampaddingtosetsmallfiresonthe number ofashspotsvisiblewherethelooters so thisareawasverydark.Therewerestilla small holeintheblockingwalltocrawlthrough, windowless andthelootershadonlymadea and shecameoutletusin.Theseroomsare phones. Eventuallysomeonegotherattention museum hadakeyandofcoursetherewereno self intherefortheinventory.Nooneelse who wasinchargeofthatarea,hadlockedher- getting accesssincethedirectorofmuseum, three consecutiverooms.Wehadalotoftrouble Basement storage:Thisareaisarrangedin Fig. 25. Old magazine, upper level, sniper’s nest(©J. Russell) 10 The First UNESCO Cultural Heritage Mission to Baghdad the collections.Hesaidthatpart ofthebookcol- ture, whowasthesourceofmy informationon Muayad Damerji,advisorto the MinistryofCul- the structure.Wetoured building withDr. event, itwilltakeaconsiderable timetorestore have sufferedstructuraldamage (fig.29).Inany in someareas,andthebuildingitselfmaywell during thelooting,withhugepilesofbookashes the basement,mostroomshadbeenburned to walkthroughallbutthebasement.Exceptfor the buildingwasstillstanding,andwewereable 28). Thatplacewasreallydestroyed.Theshellof consisting ofthreefloorsandabasement(fig. Archives, whichhadbothbeeninonebuilding specifically. Imayhavemissedsomething. representative government,notagainsttheUS was bothgroupsrallyinginfavorofalegitimate anti-US imperialismrally,thoughwhatIsaw The papertodayreportedthiswasapeaceful mosque nearby,soweturnedaroundandleft. front oftheKadhamiyamosque,mainShia way andranintoanotherhugedemonstrationin major Sunnimosque.Wetriedtogoadifferent onstration infrontoftheAhmadiyamosque, that itwasbeingcausedbyahugepeacefuldem- ran intoterribletrafficdowntown.Turnsout some building,thenameofwhichIforget,but Monday, May 19th received noassistancetodate. neighborhood. HehasrequestedCoalitionpolicecooperationinlookingforthese,but with genuinepieces.Dr.Jabertoldusthathethinksobjectsfromthemuseumarein were storedinthefirstfloorstoreroomandstolenindiscriminatelybylootersalong display thattheAmericansclaimtohaverecoveredfromlooters.Apparentlytheseobjects in theseboxeswereforgeriesandreproductions,asalsoseemtobemostoftheobjectson Chalabi’s menfromsmugglersheadingforIran.Thecuriousthingisthatmostoftheobjects jects containedinmetalfootlocker#175andtwocardboardboxes,whichwereseizedby out onalargetable(fig.27).Mostoftheonesviewweresaidtobeamong400+ob- the placewhererecoveredobjectswerespread by Americansoldiersaslivingquarters,and inventoried.] len isstillrisingasthecontentsofroomare abroad. Thenumberofobjectsknowntobesto- subsequently beenrecoveredinasingleseizure from thebasementstoragearea,and671had 10,337 objectswasknowntohavebeenstolen Bogdanos reportedthatasofJuly8atotal Internationale inLondononJuly11,Colonel a presentationattheRencontreAssyriologique have beentaken.Itcontainsmainlypottery.[In was opened,butlittleornothingappearsto less reactivematerials.Thethirdbasementroom boxes, whichshouldprobablybereplacedwith Then wewenttotheNationalLibraryand This morningweleftshortlyafter8:30tovisit Museum library:Thelibrarywasbeingused and DirectorGeneralJaberKhalil(©J.Russell) members KenMatsumoto,RobertoParapetti,andMounirBouchenaki, Fig. 27. Museumlibrary, recovered objects, viewed by UNESCO team Fig. 29.NationalLibraryandArchives,interior (©J.Russell) Fig. 28.NationalLibraryandArchives,exterior(©J.Russell) 11 The First UNESCO Cultural Heritage Mission to Baghdad (© J.Russell) Fig. 32.AbassidPalace,viewofiwanshowing looteddoorsandwindows. Fig. 30.Betal-Hikma,interior(©J.Russell) Lawler, archaeologycorrespondentfor the NationalGeographicgroupwhohadjustcompletedatourofsouth,notablyAndrew group wasconfinedtoBaghdad,wedidmeetwithmembersof turned toourcompoundforapressconference.Although soldiers toleave(fig.33). far endofthecourt,whilemorelooterswaitedatdoorfor couple ofAmericansoldiersandtheywentafterthelootersat being lootedatthetimeofourvisit.Someonewentofftofetcha the river,isnotclear.Wedidn’tgofarintothisstructureasitwas damage totheKushla,abeautifularcadedcourtyardbuildingby and windowswereremovedbylooters(figs.31,32).Theextentof architecturally intact,butallofthemodernreproductiondoors Abassid Palace,abeautifulcourtyardbuildingwithaniwan,was The roofhascollapsedandtheinterioriscompletelygutted. al-Hikma (“HouseofWisdom”)waslootedandburned(fig.30). clock toweroutfrontwasalmostdestroyedbyshelling.TheBet strikes totheinteriordecoration,butnoseriousdamage.The Ahmadiya mosquesufferedalargenumberofsmall-caliberbullet ings werenotdamagedinthelootingandcouldbeusedsoon. Bakr University,whichhesaidwouldsoonbevacant.Thesebuild- that thelibraryandarchivesshouldberelocatedtobuildingsatal- eral sitestheyvisited,mostnotablyLarsa,whereobserved largenewholes.Inaddition, who sentmeareportofhertripaftermyreturn.Theyreportedevidencelootingatsev- conference, andDr.ElizabethStone,ofStateUniversityNewYorkatStonyBrook,USA, Finally, wewenttothemuseumsaygoodbyeandthenre- Next wewenttolookatotherhistoricBaghdadbuildings.The Science late Ottomanperiodtothe1950s)hadbeen (comprising thestatearchivesofIraqfrom lection andabouthalfofthearchivecollection halt thelooting,asallofvehicles necessary trolled.] looting ofsitestherewaswidespread anduncon- second UNESCOmissioninJuly confirmedthat southern sitesbyMcGuireGibson inMayanda claimed itbyforceofarms.[Subsequentvisitsto the 1990sbeforeantiquitiesdepartmentre- suffered massivedamagefromlootingduring on averylargescaleagainatJokha,sitethat formation thatlootersweresaidtobeworking group ofdiggers.DonnyGeorgeaddedthein- ported observinglarge-scalelootingbyalarge who hadjustreturnedfromIsin,whereshere- met aGermanarchaeologist,SusanneOsthoff, during ourfinalvisittothemuseum,group stored inthebasement.Iinquiredaboutexist- came, itisstilldry.Apparentlysomebooksare untouched bythefire,andsincenofirefighters housed onthethirdfloor.Onlybasementwas the microfilmcopiesofarchives,whichwere remained inthebuildingwasdestroyed,including moved tosafetypriorthewar.Mostofwhat Muayad suggested in Baghdad.Dr. tory, andwastoldthatnothingofsortexisted ence ofapaperandbookconservationlabora- magazine,whoImetwithbeforethepress At presentthedepartmentcan donothingto fortunately undamaged.(©J.Russell) Fig. 31.AbassidPalace,arcadearoundcourtyard, 12 The First UNESCO Cultural Heritage Mission to Baghdad manna. Nextwedrovebythe Kadhamiyamosque,whichthedemonstrationhadprevented borhoods, whichseemedmostly undamaged,andstoppedatasweetshopfamousfor its partment wecanworkwith. George yesterdaywassogreat, becauseitnowmeanstherearepeopleintheAntiquities De- can beconfirmedintheirpositions. That’swhythenewsaboutJaberKhalilandDonny den rushtogetthede-Baathifyingfinishedsothatexisting uncompromisedadministrators way untiltheIraqisgetadministratorswhocanorganizethings. That’swhythere’sthesud- longer haveofficestoworkin.Theseproblemsprobably won’t beaddressedinaneffective to risktheirpersonalsafetycomework,andofcourse manyoftheofficeworkersno doubled sincethewar.Withouttheirsalariesbeingpaid,workers don’thavemuchincentive cally mustwaitinlineeighthoursforapartialtankofgas. Pricesforfreshfoodhave able anddifficulttopumpwithoutelectricity.Gasolineisin shortsupplyandmotoriststypi- cal UNESCOworkersreceivedatotalofhalfhourelectricity. Thewatersupplyisvari- food, money.OnthelasttwodayswewereinBaghdad, neighborhoodofoneourlo- do thingswithoutfear. spoke withagreedthattheirbiggestneedisrestorationoflawandorder,sopeoplecan workers togetasmuchdonetheymightifcouldworkfulldays.AlloftheIraqisI kidnapping begin,andmanywomenwon’tcometoworkatall.Thatmakesitdifficultfor thieves, sopeopletrytoleaveworkby3p.m.inordergethomebeforetherobberyand diers drivearoundinBradleysandHumvees,therearen’tenoughofthemtostopallthe ing forcrimeexceptbytheAmericansoldiers,andtheyhavenotrainingthat.Thesol- have comebacktoworkandarebeingassistedbyvolunteers,butthere’snoeffectivepolic- Tuesday, May20th recommendations: to himonMay17,andaddedthefollowingurgent tions. Ireaffirmedthepointsonlistpresented ported brieflyonourfindingsandrecommenda- sites inthesouthundercontrol.Weturnre- were tryingtofigureouthowgetthelootingof functioning stateinthemuseum,andthatthey was workingonotherwaystogetthingsbacka positions andauthority.Healsoreportedthathe Dr. DonnyGeorge(directorofresearch)intheir to confirmDr.JaberKhalil(directorgeneral)and active toApril1,andsecond,hisofficehaddecided salaries toantiquitiesdepartmentpersonnelretro- had beenissuedthatdayauthorizingpaymentof us twoveryimportantnewsitems:first,anorder dor Cordonewasveryproductive.Hesharedwith on ourfindings.Again,themeetingwithAmbassa- are reportedlyarmed. an armedmobileIraqipatrolforceofsufficientsizetodiscouragethelooters,somewhom patrols, butstoppingthisactivityoncedetectedrequiresamilitarypresenceofsomesize,or ellite surveillance,aerialsurveillancewithanunmanneddroneorfromahelicopter,andland and protectsites.Thereareavarietyofpossibilitiesformonitoringillegalactivityatsites:sat- to patrolsiteswerestolenbylooters,andsoiscompletelyreliantontheCoalitionmonitor We packedandleftthecompound atabout9a.m.,drovearoundsomeresidentialneigh- In additiontosecurity,theIraqisneedalotofotherthings: electricity,water,fuel,enough Some semblanceoforderisreturning.EvenwhileI’vebeenheresomethetrafficpolice establishagrantsandinternationalprograms • restoretheMuseum’sadministrativeoffices • After thepressconference,wemetagainwithAmbassadorCordone,thistimetoreport department officer positionintheantiquities to functionalcondition ers. (©J.Russell) Fig. 33.Kushla,Americansoldiersinpursuitofloot- 13 The First UNESCO Cultural Heritage Mission to Baghdad Fig. 34.MosiacportraitofSaddam(©J.Russell) ever, theseplansareveryshort onspecifics. initiatives oftheDepartment ofStateandtheNationalEndowmentforHumanities, how- Iraq (http:/ nounced thatawiderangeof federalagencieshopetoassistwithculturalreconstruction in conservation problems,andto updatethetrainingofIraqiconservators.TheUShasan- conservation labintheIraqMuseum, tobringconservatorsIraqassistwithemergency ish MuseumandconservationcentersinItalyJapanare developingplanstorestorethe been formedtocoordinateoutsideoffersofassistancefor antiquitiesandheritage.TheBrit- age, andoffices. ies, themuseumalsoneedsanewsecuritysystemandclimate controlforthegalleries,stor- Iraq Museumforreopening.Inadditiontorefurbishingand furnishingtheofficesandgaller- ment, andstaffofficesarebeingrefurbished.Thereisstill alongwaytogoinpreparingthe and moreareontheway.Alocalcomputernetworkisalso beinginstalledwithinthedepart- computers, furniture,andofficesupplieshasbeendelivered totheantiquitiesdepartment, ment ofState(http:/ tirely onreportsfromthosewhohavebeentheremorerecentlyorareworkingnow. Update (August2003) if antiquitiesaretobeinterdictedleavingIraq. services incountriesborderingIraqareessential that effortstoenlistthecooperationofcustoms card listedmyvisittoIraq.Fromthisitisclear Newark, eventhoughmycustomsdeclaration searched whenIenteredtheUnitedStatesat when leavingIraq,norwasmyluggage occupation forcesontheIraqisideofborder contrast, noonehasreportedbeingsearchedby the landborderbetweenIraqandJordan.By of whomreportedbeingcarefullysearchedat counts ofseveralotherrecentvisitorstoIraq,all port whenwereturnedfromIraq,andwithac- our luggageverythoroughlyattheAmmanair- perience withJordaniancustoms,whichsearched ported, ofwhich“fewerthan100”arearchaeological.Thiswasconsistentwithourownex- of thosecrossingtheborderfromIraq.Customshadseized163heritageobjects,here- of Antiquities,whoreportedthatJordaniancustomswasconductingverythoroughsearches those attendingwasDr.FawwazKhraysheh,directorgeneraloftheJordanianDepartment large groupofmembersthediplomaticcommunitytoreportonourfindings.One A committeeconsistingoftwodepartmentofficersandthree Coalitionpersonnelhas Thanks toagrantfromthePackardHumanitiesInstitute, administeredbytheUSDepart- I havenotbeenbacktoIraqsincetheUNESCOmissioninMay,sothisupdatereliesen- /www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2003/22388.htm). /www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2003/22388.htm). /www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2003/22232.htm), an an /www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2003/22232.htm), power forairconditioningorfans. when summerreallyarrivesandthereisno ern concreteapartmentbuildinginBaghdad and Iwonderwhatit’sgoingtobelikeinamod- noon sunwasaboutthehottestI’veeverfelt, across theBaghdadairportrunwayunder day forAmman(fig.35).Walkingtotheplane the oldracetrack,anddepartedBaghdadatmid- finished (andperhapsunfinishable)mosqueon drove totheairport,passingSaddam’shugeun- (fig. 34).Themosquewasundamaged.Thenwe mosiac thathadsurvivedbeingshotandburned few remainingpicturesofSaddam,atough us fromvisitingyesterday,passingoneofthe In theeveninginAmmanwemetwitha Fig. 35.Unfinishedmosqueontheracetrack.(©J.Russell) Apart fromtheclearlytargeted initial shipmentof 14 The First UNESCO Cultural Heritage Mission to Baghdad supports HR2009,goto congresspersons now.Thedealers havealreadycontactedtheirs.ToseeifyourRepresentative public support.Anyoneconcerned aboutthisissueshouldwrite,call,andvisittheir one yearanddoesnotclosethe loophole.Inordertosucceed,HR2009needsastrongshow of ghanistan duringthepastdecade. TheSenatebill,S1291,providesimportrestrictionsfor only tage ofbyUSdealersandcollectors totrademassivelyinlootedantiquitiesfromIraqand Af- thatwastakenadvan- rent USlaw(theConventiononCulturalPropertyImplementation Act) import ofstolenandlootedIraqiantiquitiesintotheUS, wouldclosealoopholeinthecur- the illicittrafficinIraqiantiquities.TheHousebill,HR2009, wouldpermanentlyprohibitthe categories ofIraqiantiquitiesmostatriskforsmuggling. gency RedListofIraqiAntiquitiesatRisk”(http:/ made availableonCD.Onelawenforcementresourcethat isavailableICOM’s“Emer- any, oftheroughly10,500objectsstillmissingareinINTERPOL database,whichisonly ing fromthepublicgalleries,whichhavebeenwellpublicized, Idonotknowhowmany,if on thestolencylindersealsandsendingittoINTERPOL. Apart fromthe30objectsstillmiss- UNESCO, anItaliancarabiniereassignedtothemuseum has beenassemblinginformation database, buttodateUNESCOhasapparentlynotyetstarteddothis.Independentof lect theresultsofinventoryandpassthemontoINTERPOLforentryintoitsstolenart summer. UNESCOandINTERPOLhavereachedanagreementwherebywillcol- has apparentlyboggeddownbecausethestoreroomsaretoohottoworkinduring stolen fromtheIraqMuseum.Workoninventoryofobjectsstorerooms there hadbeenonlyfourseizuresoutsideIraqofantiquitiesfromthemuseum. account for95%ofthelengthIraq’sborder.AccordingtoColonelBogdanos,asJuly8 reports ofinterceptionsinKuwait,SaudiArabia,Iran,Syria,orTurkey,andthesecountries to interceptantiquitiesleavingIraq.WhileJordaniscertainlydoingitsshare,Ihaveseenno The CoalitionisrelyingonthecustomsservicesofJordanandotherneighboringcountries has beenunabletoprovidethenecessaryfunds. from theIraqMuseumratherthansendingthemoutofcountry,butsofarCoalition augment theamnestyprogramwithsmallrewardstoinduceIraqisreturnobjectsstolen be impressedbytheofferofanamnestywithoutrewards.Thedepartmentwouldliketo conclusion thatthethefttherewascarriedoutbyprofessionals.Thesethievesareunlikelyto valuable andeasilymarketable—hadbeenrecoveredinIraq,whichstronglysupportshis stolen fromthebasementstorerooms—allofthemgenuineandmanyextremely are fromtheoldmagazine,andmanyreplicasforgeries.Noneof10,337objects been recoveredwithinIraqthankstoanamnestyprogramandpolicework.Mostofthese Colonel BogdanosreportedthatasofJuly8about2,260objectsstolenfromthemuseumhad display collection,weresafelystored. cation ofasecretvaultwhere8,366objectsfromthepublicgalleries,vastmajority was putbackintostorage.OnJuly6,museumpersonneltoldCoalitioninvestigatorsthelo- “reopening” ofthemuseumformedia.Thethenclosedagainandeverything safe. OnJuly3,about200oftheseobjectswereputondisplayfortwohoursinatemporary tombs ofNimrudandUrthathadbeenstoredtheresince1990werebroughtout,reportedly slowly beingpumpedout.OnJune1,thevaultwasopenedand616goldobjectsfrom June. funds forsalaries.InJuly,manyemployeeswerestillwaitingtheirsalariesMayand hindered bythedifficultiesofcommunicationandrelianceonCoalitiontoprovideall tracking downallitsemployeesthroughoutthecountryandgettingthempaid.Thiseffortis phone andemailserviceinIraqhasbeenrestored,however.Thedepartmentisgradually ment inBaghdadisabletocommunicatewithitsofficesthroughoutIraq.Someprivate Baghdad andtherestofIraqoroutsideworld.Itisnotcleartomehowifdepart- Here intheUS,twodifferentbillshavebeenintroduced the HouseandSenatetoaddress There appearstobelittlerealprogressintheinternationaleffortrecoverantiquities There isstillnoeffectivepolicingforsmuggledantiquitiesontheIraqisideofborder. In hispresentationattheRencontreAssyriologiqueInternationaleinLondononJuly11, At thetimeofmyvisitinMay,waterfloodingvaultCentralBankwas There isstillnotelephoneoremailcommunicationbetweentheantiquitiesdepartmentin http:/ /thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d108:HR02009:@@@P. /icom.museum/redlist), whichdescribes 15 The First UNESCO Cultural Heritage Mission to Baghdad 11 July2003:http:/ 16 May2003:http:/ Colonel Bogdanos’sreports http:/ “Iraq Post-ConflictReconstructionAssessmentMissionReport,” 17July2003 http:/ “Opening theDoors:IntellectualLifeandAcademicConditionsinPostWarIraq,”15July2003 http:/ “Assessment ofIraqiculturalheritageLibrariesandArchives,”6July2003 http:/ “Iraq ManuscriptCollections,Archives,&LibrariesSituationReport,”9June2003 http:/ “Mayhem inMesopotamia,” http:/ http:/ General news Many excellentresourcesontheculturalsituationinIraqareavailableonline.Myfavoritesare: powerplant. never seen—willbeintheUSbeingenjoyedbytheirliberators. est nationaltreasures—whichhavebeeninstoragefor13yearsandwhichmanyIraqis blockbuster loanexhibition.Ifso,thenwhenthemuseumdoesreopen,someofIraq’sgreat- cluding goldjewelryfromNimrudandtheWarkavase,wouldsoontraveltoUSasa fill thisrole.ThereistheveryrealpotentialhereforyetanotherarchaeologicaldisasterinIraq. would becoordinated,norwhetherthedepartmentcurrentlyhashumanresourcestoful- whether foreigncompaniesandtheCoalitionwillrecognizethislaw,norhowsuchefforts requires thatthedepartmentsupervisesurveyandsalvageworkifneeded,itisnotclear requires permissionfromtheantiquitiesdepartmentpriortocommencingconstruction,and ate archaeologicalsurveyandsalvagearecarriedoutaheadofthebulldozers.WhileIraqilaw projects inIraq,itisnotclearwhatprovisions,ifany,havebeenmadetoensurethatappropri- sites. Whilegasolineshortagesaresomewhatlesssevere,carjackingisstillaproblem. uities departmentstilllacksvehicles,makingitimpossiblefortomonitorarchaeological get itundercontrol.Theextentoflooting,ifany,atsitesinthenorthisunknown.antiq- cal sitesinsouthernIraqisstillahugeproblem,andthattheCoalitiondoesnotknowhowto A photographtakeninBaghdadJulyshowstwosmokingsmokestacksatthe Ambassador Cordonerecentlyannouncedthataselectionofthemuseum’streasures,in- As Bechtelandotherforeigncompaniesgearupformassiveinfrastructureconstruction In arecentnewspaperinterview,AmbassadorCordonestatedthatlootingofarchaeologi- /www.lemoyne.edu/global_studies/opening_the_doors.pdf /listhost.uchicago.edu/pipermail/iraqcrisis /cctr.umkc.edu/user/fdeblauwe/iraq.html /www.csis.org/isp/pcr/IraqTrip.pdf /listhost.uchicago.edu/pipermail/iraqcrisis/2003-June/000200.html /cctr.umkc.edu/user/fdeblauwe/lawler8103.pdf /www.ifla.org/VI/4/admin/iraq2207.pdf /listhost.uchicago.edu/pipermail/iraqcrisis/2003-July/000298.html /www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/2003/tr20030516-0202.html Science FOR FUTHERREADING magazine,1Aug.2003