Recovering Iraq's Archaeological Heritage - Al-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

The Basra Museum in southern Iraq opened its doors this April, another step towards restoring the country's cultural heritage. Ancient artifacts damaged and stolen in conflicts dating back almost four decades are back on display.

A picture taken on January 30, 2020, shows a collection of Ushabtis or funerary figurines discovered among many archeological finds in 3000-year-old communal tombs dedicated to high priests, in Al-Ghoreifa in Tuna al-Jabal in the Minya governorate. - Egypt's antiquities ministry unveiled 16 tombs of ancient high priests containing 20 sarcophagi, including one dedicated to the sky god Horus, discovered at the archaeological site, about 300 kilometres (186 miles) south of Cairo. The shared tombs were dedicate

Egypt agrees to help Iraq recover looted antiquities

George Mikhail

Basra Museum struggles to keep Iraq's heritage at home

Lizzie Porter

Visitors tour Iraq's National Museum, as it reopens after a three-year closure due to political unrest and the coronavirus pandemic, Baghdad, Iraq, March 8, 2022.

Iraq reopens National Museum after thousands of smuggled artifacts return

Adnan Abu Zeed

A picture shows the UNESCO-listed ancient city of Hatra, south of Mosul, on April 27, 2017.
Iraqi forces retook the town of Hatra, southwest of Mosul, on the third day of an operation that saw them wrest back the archeological site from the Islamic State group. The ancient city is one of the heritage jewels of Iraq and was damaged by IS after they took over large parts of the country three years ago. / AFP PHOTO / AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)

Iraq's Hatra retaken from IS militants, but still vulnerable

Adnan Abu Zeed