Museum 1001 Nights Opened

BAGHDAD - After closed for nearly six years due to the American invasion and the looting and destruction of the citizens, the National Museum of Iraq (al-Mathaf al-Wathani al-Iraqi) is now re-opened to the public.

The opening ceremony of the largest museums in the country's 1001 night was held on Tuesday (10 / 5) yesterday, and officially opened by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Also attending the ceremony were several high-ranking Iraqi state, ambassadors of friendly countries, archaeologists, cultural observers, collectors, and international journalists.

In his speech, on behalf of the Iraqi people and lovers of civilization, Al-Maliki expressed gratitude infinite to all those who have been trying hard to revive the Iraq Museum, and now can be enjoyed again by the general public.

"We on behalf of the Iraqi people are also grateful to all the international parties that have helped restore Iraq's museums goods that had been stolen," said Maliki, as reported by the Iraqi daily al-Shabah (10 / 5).

Al-Maliki also called on all parties to be able to help Iraq back into the country for the history of civilization and direction for researchers and archaeologists.

Meanwhile, Iraq's Minister of Culture and Tourism Qahthan al-Jaburi states, throughout the six years it has exerted all efforts to restore thousands of valuable objects are missing Iraq Museum's collection were looted and sold.

"Throughout that time our vulnerable continuing to hunt for valuable objects that plundered enemy of civilization," he said as quoted by Al Jazeera (10 / 5).

Some time after the fall of Badhdad by the American invasion in April 2003, dozens of looters rushed into the ground floor of the Iraqi National Museum and took various collection of antiques on display there.

Antiques, some of which originated in Mesopotamia civilization thousands of years-old, disappeared Iraqis looted. Several other collections, such as artifacts and sculpture, was scattered on the floor in a state that no longer intact. Office of the museum staff were left in disrepair.

Deputy Director of the National Museum of Iraq Nabhal Amin said that if the goods were looted and vandalized the museum's collection reached 170 000. Losses resulting from crime is worth billions of U.S. dollars. It is also noted as one of the worst crimes in the early ancient into the 21st century.

Of the several hundred thousand the number of collections are missing, only a quarter are now successfully restored. Ministry of culture and tourism alone just to have him back just 11,000 collections.

Iraq has a rich civilization that so bewitched. Iraq is the birthplace of the world's oldest civilizations, and is home of the ancient cities of Mesopotamia, Persia, and also Islam, such as Babylon, Ur, Nineveh, Csetiphon, Selucia, and Baghdad, which is one of the most comprehensive in the world's archaeological heritage .

At the time of Islam, Iraq (Baghdad) became the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate, the legendary, once the heart of civilization and universal science. Baghdad was famous throughout all the corners. From it-giant was born hundreds of scientists from various disciplines. Not surprisingly, thousands of people from various corners of the world flocked to Baghdad to earn a science, or just sightseeing the city witnessed the splendor of a thousand and one legend.


Iraq National Museum itself was founded in 1923. At first, the museum building is located in the numbers of al-Qasyallah, Central Baghdad. However, four years later moved to the number of al-Ma'mun in western Baghdad. In 1966, the museum building was moved back to the number of al-Alawi until now.

The museum has a large collection of antiques, including one of them is a silver harp from Ur of the 4,000-year-old, the goods at the time of Prophet Ibrahim to the golden age of Islamic civilization.

No exaggeration to say the Iraqi museum as one of the most important museums of the world, as stated by Minister of Culture and Tourism of Iraq Qahthan al-Jaburi.

"And with great nobility and honor, today, we are re-opened one of the most important museums in the Middle East, and also the source of civilization and human knowledge," said al-Jaburi.