Nearly six years ago, an American surge towards the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad marked the start of the war on terror and created a panic that left Iraq’s National Museum looted and destroyed, its hallowed halls dark and dusty and its displays empty behind shattered glass panels. In mid-February, though the museum was still far from fully restored and looked more like a prison with troops of armed guards atop its roof, Iraqi officials reopened it in front of a crowd of diplomats, historians, journalists, and civilians. The museum’s reopening should serve as a reminder to Americans that Iraq is a country that’s about a lot more than war.
Amid the fierce fighting and insurgent activity, the precious artifacts at the museum were taken and sold on the black market to nearby countries like Syria and Jordan, as well as to far-flung locations like Peru and the United States. According to Newsweek, more than 15,000 items were stolen by thieves who used gunfire to cause serious structural damage to the museum before breaking in and looting the priceless items inside. American troops were widely criticized for allowing the ransacking of the museum to occur right under their noses, with little or no regard for the value of the ancient artifacts that were stolen. “American troops were but a few hundred yards away as the country’s heritage was stripped bare,” said National Public Radio’s Robert Siegel when the looting was reported in 2003.
At the time of the museum’s reopening, 6,000 of the museum’s invaluable items from ancient Babylon, Assyria, and Sumeria, as well as centuries-old Islamic texts and rare Iraqi artifacts, had been recovered and placed inside 23 renovated halls and exhibit rooms displaying classic Islamic art and architecture. Up to 7,000 items remain missing, including 50 considered to be of great historic importance. Qahtan al-Jibouri, Iraq’s minister of state for tourism and antiquities, told the New York Times that he wanted visitors “to see that Baghdad is still the same as it was...[it] has not turned to ruins.”
When most of the Western media coverage of Iraq tells stories of violence, bloodshed, warfare, and terrorism, it’s easy to forget how incredibly culturally rich this venerable nation is. It’s easy to envision an empty, endless dusty desert rather than a storied ancient world of treasures, art, jewelry, and architecture. Items in the museum date back over six millennia, to the civilizations of ancient Mesopotamia that flourished thousands of years before America was even a glint in the founding fathers’ eyes. The Iraq of today is a war-torn nation, to be sure; but it isn’t a desert wasteland that American troops should feel no guilt about virtually wiping off the face of the Earth. It has a much greater, richer, more complex legacy than terrorism. It is the birthplace of civilization, the site of the oldest human history in the world. Its inhabitants are devout Muslims, most of whom are dedicated to preserving their nation’s time-tested and valuable culture, and practicing the most widespread religion in the world.
Remember the “Cradle of Civilization,” Sumeria, the Tigris and the Euphrates? That wasn’t a mythical place; it was located in what is today Jordan, Syria, Egypt, and Iraq. The first governments, the first mathematical systems, the first spoken and written languages developed in this region. It was home to the world’s earliest literature and philosophy. The relics that are found today in Middle Eastern museums are a part of the global story of human history. They are priceless not just to today’s inhabitants of the Middle East, but to everyone who has ever done math, told time, or used any of the other countless contributions of the ancient Sumerians.
Museums around the world recognize the value of artifacts, art, and literature: They remind us not just where we have come from, but inspire us towards new and innovative achievements. Even in a region riddled with strife and fighting, it is uplifting to see that people are still committed to preserving the legacy of human history. No matter how much these items may garner on the black market, their value as pieces of the global story of history is priceless. The looting of the museum was a powerful indicator of the chaos and disregard that followed the invasion of Iraq; its reopening serves as a symbol of commitment to progress, reverence, and improvement.
Iraq is a nation with a rich cultural heritage and some of the most ancient history in the world. It is a land of people with an appreciation for their shared history. It may seem obvious, but its easy to forget when few headlines in the Western news media contain the word “Iraq” without the words “war,” “terrorism,” “Al Qaeda,” or “death” somewhere adjacent. Iraq is more than a hide-out for Osama bin Laden or a breeding ground for terrorism. There’s no question that today’s Iraq is a nation wrought with fighting and deeply torn along entrenched religious lines, but that doesn’t mean the Western media should write it off as nothing more than a battleground. It may be some time before American visitors are lining up outside the doors of the Iraq National Museum, but the artifacts that it houses are as valuable to us as to any other culture in the world.
Michelle Lamont is a Cavalier Daily Associate Editor. She can be reached at m.lamont@cavalierdaily.com.
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