Iraq plans new national museum building and regional facilities

The Iraqi Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities is prioritizing the reopening of the Iraq Museum in Baghdad and plans to establish three additional regional museums, Shafaq News reported on Sunday. Tourism and Antiquities Minister Ali Al-Dakhili announced during a visit to the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage that the government is seeking a new building for the national institution in Baghdad. [1]

According to Shafaq News, the planned expansion includes new museum facilities located in the Nineveh, Diyala, and Al-Diwaniyah provinces. The ministry is also preparing to open a dedicated museum facility inside the presidential palace in Babil province. That location will house archaeological and cultural heritage artifacts specific to the province. [1]

The national institution in Baghdad contains historical relics from Mesopotamian, Abbasid, and Persian civilizations. The venue was extensively looted during and after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Although international recovery efforts have returned a portion of the stolen artifacts, many remain missing. The national museum previously reopened in February 2015 following years of restoration work. [3]

The area of modern Iraq corresponds historically to ancient Mesopotamia, where early urban developments, cuneiform writing, and codified laws emerged around 3500 BCE. The region subsequently contained the historical empires of Akkad, Babylon, and Assyria, as well as the Abbasid Caliphate, which made Baghdad a central location for scientific activity between the eighth and thirteenth centuries. [4]