Controlled explosions threaten Hatra
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www.artnewspaper.com Controlled explosions at an ammunition dump at Hatra, south of Mosul, are threatening to seriously damage an important ancient site that is on Unesco’s World Heritage list. Colonel Paul Woerner, the senior civil affairs officer in the US embassy in Baghdad responsible for Iraq’s northern cities, has been trying to control what he calls a “dismaying situation”.
Colonel Woerner described the task in an email to the University of Chicago’s Iraq crisis newslist: “The basic problem is exploding ordnance near the site, which is causing a deteriorating situation to the structure [of the ancient buildings]. A contractor is finishing off stockpiles of ordnance from an ammo dump left over from the former Iraqi Army. It is no easy task to relocate an ammo dump.”
He then warned of the impact on the ancient city: “The explosions are causing effects to the structure. I am very concerned what the exploding ordnance is doing to the Hatra site. I will put my best efforts into trying to rectify the situation and preserving the site.” Since May, controlled explosions of recovered munitions and mines are conducted at a nearby US military base. These are believed to take place twice daily. This constant seismic activity is damaging the stone arches of the main temple and the outer wall of the ancient city, which could lead to collapses.
In September the Archaeological Institute of America wrote to the Department of Defence, with president Jane Waldbaum expressing deep concern. “Hatra is arguably the most spectacular archaeological site in Iraq. It would be a real tragedy if these ruins, whose walls have withstood the invasions of Roman and other armies over nearly two millennia, should finally fall victim to modern occupation forces that should be protecting them.”
On 14 October Baghdad-based Colonel Woerner responded to questions from The Art Newspaper with a brief statement: “The explosions were brought under control and will remain within tolerance to protect the site. The criteria is based on a blast study done by Army engineers.” This confirms that it has not been possible to move the ordnance for controlled explosions further away from the archaeological site.
Dating back to 200 BC, Hatra was a large fortified city under the Parthian Empire. Its Hellenistic and Roman architecture is blended with Eastern decorative elements, with temples, other buildings, walls and statues still standing.
Tragically, Hatra has been in the headlines with news of the discovery of a mass grave of hundreds of executed Kurdish mothers and children in a trench two miles south of the modern settlement. Chief US investigator Greg Kehoe described Hatra as one of Saddam Hussein’s “killing fields” in 1987-88.
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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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