Iraqi National Museum Re-Opens Amid Improved Security
By Gina Chon
February 23, 2009, 4:39 pm
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki hailed the re-opening of the National Museum in Baghdad Monday, nearly six years after the building was closed in the midst of looting and destruction that left it barren of thousands of antiquities.
Mr. Maliki, ambassadors and other dignitaries were allowed to tour the museum under tight security, a day ahead of building’s opening to the public. Mr. Maliki said he was happy to see life return to the museum but stressed there was still work to be done, including continuing efforts in obtaining stolen treasures.
“Iraqis are now capable of taking care of the museum and securing life here once again,” Mr. Maliki said.
There was a controversy regarding the museum opening, with Tourism Minister Qahtan al-Jiburi pushing for it and the Culture Minister Mahir al-Hadithi opposing it. Fearing the museum was still susceptible to attacks or robbers, Mr. Hadithi has said it was too early to reopen the museum and did not attend the ceremony today.
Mr. al-Jiburi said 6,000 stolen artifacts that had been taken abroad were returned to the museum, while another 10,000 treasures were returned by Iraqis in Iraq. Another 7,000 artifacts are still believed to be missing. He also said the museum surpassed the expectations of some people who doubted the situation was secure enough for the museum to reopen.
“We hope people will see Baghdad is once again safe and secure,” he said.
The museum includes halls displaying items delivered or returned by Iraqi citizens or regained from other nations. There is also an Assyrian room, a hall of Manuscripts showing ancient books of the Quran and an Islamic Hall. Magnificent wall-size stone carvings and statues, ancient coins and glazed pottery were among the antiquities on display. (See a photo gallery.)
However, a room that had displayed ancient gold jewelry only showed pictures of the treasures. The jewelry had been on display during the early part of the Coalition Provisional Authority, which governed Iraq after the U.S. liberation in 2003. But the museum feared that the gold jewelry may tempt thieves so the pieces are now kept in a vault.
The dozens of media representatives that attended the event were so eager to cover the museum opening that there were a few tussles and shouting matches with Iraqi security forces, resulting in two broken stone vases for plants that stood outside the museum entrance. A soldier carrying the broken pieces of one of the vases noted that fortunately, it was just an ordinary stone pot and not an ancient treasure.
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