Iraq Museum returns to former glory
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Not all news from Baghdad is bad. There are, from time to time, good news stories.
The current good news story is about Iraq’s archaeological museum, the fifth most important in the world. The museum, trashed and pillaged after the fall of Baghdad, is being refurbished and modernized by Iraqis with the aid of international archaeologists and experts in the field of museum management. Looted artifacts are being hunted down and returned to the museum. Essential funds are pouring into the coffers of the Department of Antiquities. Dr Donny George, recently appointed head of Iraq’s 15 museums, told that the “negative publicity” over the looting of the Iraq Museum in early April — while US troops watched from the safety of their tanks parked in the street in front of the building — has had a “positive effect”. He said: “The looting gave the museum a high profile. The US seeks to make amends. Everybody is very willing to help.” In the last four months new computers, telephone sets, faxes and photocopiers have been provided by the occupation regime and essential repairs have been done. During this time, the Italian Carabinieri’s Art Squad has been logging missing items into a database in Rome, which provides information on these pieces to Interpol, museums and “legitimate” antiquities dealers (all of whom deal in illegitimate items when offered a chance). The Oriental Institute in Chicago has set up a second database. Donny George said that most of the museum’s unique pieces have been restored. These are a 3,500-year-old Sumerian vase and a bust of a woman from the same period, a copper votive statue of a youth, and an Assyrian brazier. Six hundred cylinder seals have also been recovered. He estimated that “4,000 items have been returned, more than 1,000 by Iraqis and 820 by Italy”. Of the 14,000 items not yet back in the museum, 1,000 have been confiscated in the US, 500 in Paris, 250 in Switzerland and a few hundred in Jordan. “Once all these come back 7-8,000 will be missing. We have very good connections and everybody is working hard,” George asserted.
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Emirates Arrives in Erbil
Emirates, one of the world’s fastest-growing airlines, today commenced its new non-stop service between Dubai and Erbil city in Iraq, making it the 11th destination launched by the airline this (12/08/2012)
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Qatar Airways Begins FlightsTo BAGHDAD
The Doha-based airline is operating four-flights-a-week non-stop on the Baghdad route. Located on the banks of the Tigris River, Iraq’s capital is one of the Arab world’s largest cities. (09/06/2012)
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Baghdad Office / Agents
Mr. Walid Abdul-Amir Alwan
Bab Al-Mudham
P.O. Box 489, Baghdad - Iraq
Mobile: +964 790 183 1726,
E-mail: itmbaghdad@tcph.org
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