War In The Birthplace Of Civilization

by Julio Godoy

Iraq is the land of the ancient Mesopotamia, and of the Assyrian, Sumerian and Babylonian civilizations. It holds also much of the architectural richness of the Ottoman Empire.

"We all are very worried about the damage the war may be causing to the Iraqi cultural heritage," says Joie Springer, in charge of the Memory of the World Register at the Paris-based UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization).

The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), whose secretariat is also based in Paris, has asked the U.S. and British governments to "act in the spirit and the letter of the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Properties in the Event of Armed Conflict."

The Hague Convention was adopted in 1954 in the wake of massive destruction of cultural heritage during WWII. It aims to protect monuments, archaeological sites, works of art, manuscripts, books, and other objects of artistic, historical, or scientific interest from destruction in a war.

The Hague Convention points out that cultural heritage is at increasing risk due to constant development of military technology.

"Iraq's archaeological and architectural richness suffered enormous destruction during the first war 12 years ago," says Ross Shimmon, acting director of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLAI). "This new war is certainly extending this ruin."

Shimmon warned also about looting during and after the war. "The pillage of archaeological and historical treasuries is a major problem after armed conflicts," Shimmon says.

"Scandalously, neither the British nor the American governments signed up to The Hague convention," Shimmon says. "They should do so immediately." The Hague convention prohibits export of cultural property from occupied territory, and provides for punishment for violation of cultural heritage.

Blue Shield, an international committee of non-governmental organizations representing archives, libraries, monuments, museums and sites, urged "all governments concerned to do all they can to protect cultural property."

Blue Shield says international humanitarian law prohibits the use of cultural property for military purposes or to shield military targets.

A group of about 100 academics from North America, Europe and Asia have asked "all governments and peoples" to protect Iraqi cultural heritage. "In any military conflict that heritage is put at risk, and it appears now to be in grave danger," the academics say in their declaration.

Experts say only a fraction of the hundreds of thousands of archaeological sites in Iraq have been explored.

Iraq is home to some of the earliest surviving examples of Islamic architecture, including the Great Mosque at Samarra and the desert palace of Ukhaidar.

The tombs of Imam Ali and his son Husein, founders of the Shiite branch of Islam, at Najaf and Karbala are among the most revered in the Muslim world.

Iraq's rich past includes the cities of Ur region dating back to the third millennium before Christ, and which is mentioned in the Bible as the birthplace of Abraham.

The heritage includes Babylon, with its Tower of Babel and the Hanging Gardens, once the capital of kings like Hammurabi, Nebuchadnezzar and Alexander the Great.

The legendary city of Nineveh in the north was the imperial seat of the Assyrian kings Sennacherib (about 704-681 B.C.) and Ashurbanipal (668-627 B.C.). Archaeologists have found traces of royal palaces there with magnificent sculptures.

Baghdad, the setting of many of the tales of the "Thousand and One Nights" is a centre for the splendor of Ottoman architecture, despite the devastation brought by time and war. These buildings include the Kadhumain mosque, tombs, and the university.

Baghdad also has Iraq's largest archaeological museum, with a collection of the finest Sumerian, Babylonian and Assyrian art collection in the world.

Several major archaeological monuments were bombed during the last Gulf War, according to a UNESCO study. The bombing damaged figures at Ur going back to 2100 BC and restored around 550 BC. The bombing also damaged the great brick vault at Ctesiphon, also known as Taq Kisra, built in the fourth century AD and among the largest single span vaults in the world.

A 10th century church was partly destroyed in Mosul in the north, the scene of heavy bombardment again. Ancient houses were destroyed at Kerkuk. The 13th-century Mustansiriya university in Baghdad was damaged by rockets and fires.

Several regional museums were looted during the Gulf War and in the uprisings that followed. Excavated palaces were stripped of their wealth in Niniveh, Nimrud, and Khorsabad. Sculptures were looted from the Parthian temples of Hatra. The World Monuments Watch lists Niniveh as one of the 100 most endangered sites.

Experts believe that tens of thousands of excavated objects were illegally taken out of the country.

Since then United Nations sanctions imposed under pressure from the U.S. have hindered conservation of historical sites.

The antiquities department of Iraq virtually ceased to function after the 1991 war. Funding was cut, and trained personnel left the country or took other jobs. Vehicles were requisitioned by other organizations or fell into disrepair. The sanctions blocked international assistance for documentation and preservation of Iraqi heritage.

Agricultural development to increase food supply led to destruction of countless sites. The ancient Assyrian city of Assur in the north is now threatened by flooding from an irrigation reservoir.

"After years of neglect and looting, this irreplaceable heritage as well as the dedicated professionals who care for it, will again be victims of war," ICOMOS says.

Shimmon says the U.S and British governments must "contribute to the conservation and restoration of the Iraqi heritage as they have invested in the war."

The 100 academics who signed the petition want the staff of the Iraqi Department of Antiquities to be restored to pre-embargo numbers after the war "to secure the long-term safety of the archaeological and cultural heritage of Iraq of all historical periods, and to stop the illicit digging and smuggling of antiquities that have occurred during the period of the embargo and that may follow the conflict."