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Attempting
to Recover Iraq’s Stolen Heritage
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The
looting and destruction involved thousands of priceless historical and
archaeological relics. |
In
April of this year, during the height of the widespread looting and destruction
that was experienced by Iraqi museums, libraries and archaeological sites, Koïchiro
Matsuura, the director-general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), called “for all measures to be taken to ensure
the protection and surveillance of Iraqi cultural heritage and effectively fight
against illicit trafficking."
He
also said that, “Libraries, archives and manuscripts must be preserved as
essential parts of the rich heritage of Iraq. Libraries are the essence of
knowledge societies. Nearly twenty centuries of written history of mankind are
in danger; everything must be done to protect them from looting and
destruction.”
Since
then, UNESCO has organized two missions to Iraq. The first mission was sent from
15 to 20 May, and its goal was to gather information on stolen Iraqi artefacts
and to fine tune an action plan proposed to restore the chief cultural
institutions of Iraq. Although no accurate determination has been made so far as
to how many items have been stolen, Wolfgang Reuther, director of UNESCO in
Amman said, “The UNESCO team that recently returned from Baghdad May 20
reported that the artefacts in the Iraqi museum had been severely disturbed.”
It
was previously reported by Iraqi curators that over 50,000 items had been stolen
from the National Museum in Baghdad alone. It is thought that some 170,000
priceless artefacts are missing from various locations in Iraq.
Following
the massive looting, the US-led coalition forces were condemned worldwide for
their incompetence in the protection of the Iraqi cultural heritage during its
war on the country. Archaeologists emphasized that the looting could have been
prevented if proper measures had been taken and appropriate strategies had been
placed by international governments to ensure the safety of such priceless
artefacts.
The
looting and destruction involved thousands of priceless historical and
archaeological relics from Assyrian, Sumerian, and Babylonian civilizations that
date back thousands of years. Iraq's National Library and the main Islamic
Library were also ransacked and burned, causing the loss of thousands of
priceless books and archives.
The
information gathered by UNESCO will assist Interpol’s mission to establish a
database of Iraqi artefacts suspected of being stolen. This database, it is
hoped, will assist customs agencies around the world in identifying stolen
artefacts being smuggled across international borders. The database would also
provide police and art dealers with up-to-date information on stolen artefacts.
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A UN resolution is being sought against illicit trafficking and importing Iraqi antiquities.
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Matsuura
is seeking a UN resolution against illicit trafficking that would also enforce
an embargo on the import of Iraqi antiquities and would demand the return of
such items to Iraq. Such a resolution could be enforced not only among the 97
countries that signed the 1970 Convention on cooperation for the recovery and
return of stolen archaeological, historical and cultural properties but would
also be enforced throughout the 191 UN Member States. The convention demands the
protection of cultural heritage against theft, illicit export and wrongful
alienation.
On
28 June 2003, a second UNESCO expert mission left for Iraq. The mission included
specialists in museums, archives, libraries, historical monuments and
archaeological sites from Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the
Netherlands. Two groups were formed, one to assess the situation of museums,
historic buildings, archives and libraries; the other to visit the
archaeological sites to the north and south of Baghdad, which were also reported
to have been damaged by looters.
In
fact, the looting which is occurring at several major archaeological sites could
prove to be a major loss if left unhindered. Thieves have already removed more
in two weeks than that which has taken archaeologists two decades to dig out.
On
the bright side, reports are coming out that some locals removed objects during
the looting for safekeeping, and these items are now being returned. For
example, the Haq Mosque's Hawza Group saved 300,000 volumes from the National
Library of Iraq by transferring them to their mosque in Revolution City. Other
reports indicate that some items had been moved by the Iraqi government before
the war began and these items have been preserved.
Since
the beginning of the war on Iraq, Jordanian customs officials have confiscated
over 400 Iraqi artefacts that were being smuggled across its border. Other
smuggled artefacts — including 15 oil paintings, a collection of gold-plated
weapons, knives, and swords —have been confiscated in Paris and at London and
US airports. According to the BBC, US customs agents working in Iraq claim to
have recovered around 40,000 manuscripts and 700 other artefacts that were
stolen from the national museum in Baghdad.
The
establishment of a database of the stolen and destroyed items is an important
step towards the recovery of such items. Unfortunately though, the average
recovery rate for stolen artefacts is only around five to ten per cent,
according to Karl-Heinz Kind of the International Criminal Police Organization
(Interpol).
Sources:
*
Aisha El-Awady has a
bachelor’s degree in medicine from Cairo University and is currently preparing
her MA and working as instructor of Parasitology in the Faculty of Medicine. She
may be contacted at: aawady@islam-online.net 
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