Visiting Scholars Programme 2003-2011

• Sponsored five Iraqi attendees to the academic conference, jointly sponsored by TAARII (The American Academic Research Institute in ), on “Iraq under the Sanctions: Economic, Political, Social and Cultural Effects” in Amman (September 2011) • Funded the visit of Akram Yahya and Mohammed Mallalah, Lecturers at the University of Mosul, for two months research leave in London and Amman researching the architecture and history of the religious buildings of Mosul (June-July 2011) • Funded the purchase of a number of scholarly books for the University of Mosul's library focuing on Cuneiform studies (April-May 2011) • Sponsored Dr Mua'yad Sulaiman of the Department of Cuneiform Studies, University of Mosul, for a research leave at the University of Oxford working with Dr Stephanie Dalley on Old Babylonian tablets from the (January-March 2011) • Sponsored Faeza Al-Rubaye of the Iraq Museum for a placement at the 's Conservation Department and for research work with Dr Georgina Herrmann on certain ivories from Nimrud (October-December 2010) • Sponsored Khawlah Maarikj Khaleel from the Iraq Museum for a placement at the Glasgow Museum working on store room management (September-December 2010) • Funded a Museum Studies course and an Overview of Mesopotamian Archaeology at the Museum in Iraq with Ms Noorah Al-Gailani and Dr Dominique Collon (November 2010). • Shipped large number of books and journals to the Mosul Cultural Museum in January 2010 and to the Iraq Museum Library in July 2010. • Sponsored the visit of Mr Munir Esah Al Khazargy from Baghdad who is a member of the Committee of the Iraq Museum Inventory Project, supported by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. This visit was facilitated by Mr Nick Umney and Laura Dix and colleagues at the Victorial and Albert Museum and other London based museums were involved and Munir is implementing many of the proposals that he developed while in the UK in Baghdad. • Sponsored the visits of a scholar from the in Iraq who attended the British Museum's International Curatorial Training Programme (June-July 2009) and worked on the Digital Nineveh Archive with Dr Eleanor Wilkinson • Sponsored (April-June) two scholars from Iraq - one from the Mosul Cultural Musuem who spent time in Education Departments of the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge and the British Museum and the other an archaeologists from SBAH in Baghdad spent time at L-P Archaeology in London with opportunities to participate in fieldwork in Wales. • (January - April 2009) sponsored the English language tuition of the director of the Basra Cultural Museum, who was here on a special visit organised by the British Museum's Department of the Middle East and DCMS. • In 2008, we sponsored the visit of Mr Hikmat Basheer, Director of the Mosul Cultural Museum, for research leave and special English language tuition. • Sponsored jointly with UCL the research work of a Professor from Al Qadissiyah University (Autumn 2007 to present). • Sponsored research leave for a Professor from Mosul (Cuneiform Studies) in Cambridge with the assistance of Wolfson College, Cambridge. (Spring 2007) • Sponsored two colleagues from the Iraq Museum - an Islamic Scholar and Curator and a librarian from the Iraq Musem, who had programmes organised in Scotland and London (Islamic Scholar) and respecitvely London (Autumn 2006) • Sponsored two colleagues from the Iraq Museum - a photographer and museum designer - on two-month attachments in the UK at various museums and universities and at Csarky Associates. Fully funded and organised by BSAI. (Autumn 2004) • Provided funding for travel for Dr Donny George - former Chairman of the SBAH (State Board of Antiquities and Heritage) - and the current SBAH Chairman Dr Abbas Al Hussainy to attend a conference at the Institute of Archaeology UCL ‘Archaeology in Conflict’ and organised capacity-building related meetings for Dr Al Hussainy in the UK. (Nov. 2006) • Helen McDonald - BSAI Senior Research Fellow - on assignment to CPA under FCO remit with Ms Sarah Collins of the British Museum. Initially based in Baghdad and then Babylon. (June-Aug 2003). • Sponsored Ms Noorah Al Gailani, Keeper of Islamic Material at the Glasgow, to give two week course at the Iraq Museum: ‘Recent Developments in Museum Studies’. (April 2004) • Provided travel grants for members of the State Board of Antiquities and the Iraq and Mosul Museums to attend the Rencontre Internationale Assyriologique at the British Museum (July 2003) • Provided funding for an English language course at the Iraq Museum – to continue as security allows. • Provided important reference books to Mosul and Baghdad since 2003, a large shipment was sent in March 2005 - a further shipment is also pending to be sent. • Provided a conduit for the British Academy to donate funds to the Iraq Museum Library for its refurbishment. • Purchased a Stereoscopic Microscope for the Iraq Museum. • Purchased Powerful Digital Camera for the Iraq Museum publications programme • Assisted the British Museum with the delegation of the Babylon directorate on visit to Cambridge for training at the Fitzwilliam Museum and to meet scholars in Cambridge.