IRAQ | Tourism & Archaeology

[Sinjar]

IRAQI EDUCATION/ARCHAEOLOGY PROGRAM PARTNERED BY US ARCHAEOLOGISTS, MOSUL UNIVERSITY

11/10/2012 – A team of archaeologists under the direction of BU Assistant Professor of Archaeology Michael Danti will partner with educators at Mosul University on an innovative program to revive higher education and cultural heritage management in Iraq. Centered on the study of Iraqi archaeology and culture, the new Mosul University Archaeology Program (MAP) will focus on curriculum development, design and implementation of online courses and real-time videoconferences, and cultural study programs in the US and in Iraq. The program is funded by a grant from the U.S. Embassy in Iraq.

MAP is designed to help Iraq re-establish its tradition of excellence in higher education with particular distinction in the complementary fields of archaeology and cultural heritage management. The city of Mosul and its environs contain renowned archaeological sites, including Nineveh, Nimrud, and the Al-Hadba Minaret. Years of warfare, instability, embargoes, and isolation have hindered the growth and development of higher education in Iraq and have posed serious challenges in heritage management.

As leaders in undergraduate education in archaeology, international heritage management, and global programs, the MAP team is uniquely qualified to assist MU implement higher education revision, improve student outcomes, and link Mosul faculty to the global archaeological community. Ultimately, MAP activities will strengthen cultural cooperation and promote political, social, and economic development in Iraq consistent with the U.S.-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement.

“Cultural study programs and collaborative teaching will benefit scholars from both countries, providing valuable first-hand knowledge of the educational and heritage management challenges faced by each, and will lead to other collaborative agreements and follow-on activities,” says Danti. “MAP makes it possible for senior and junior Iraqi academics and students to gain access to the latest instructional materials and pedagogy.”

Ultimately, the project will promote and strengthen long-term cooperation and friendship between Iraq and the United States. MAP also will help reinforce national reconciliation and showcase the principles of democracy, diversity, and multiculturalism, which are rooted in a quality education.

Detailed planning for the project already is underway, and three online courses will be developed at BU and taught in Spring 2013 at MU and BU — Archaeology of Mesopotamia, Archaeological Method and Theory, and International Heritage Management. The lectures for these courses will be digitally recorded and translated into Arabic and Kurdish (Sorani dialect).

The project also includes the development of a MU-BU archaeological field school for teaching two capstone courses in Iraq: Archaeological Field Methods and Archaeological Analysis and Reporting. The five MAP courses comprise the core of an undergraduate program in Near Eastern archaeology.

Newswise

[Sinjar]

إبرام اتفاقية مع اليونسكو لشمول آثار نينوى بالرعاية الدولية

بواسطة: bian6
بتاريخ : السبت 24-11-2012 06:22 مساء

الموصل / واب / أبرمت محافظة نينوى أتفاقية ثنائية مع ممثلي منظمة اليونسكو لشمول آثار نينوى بالرعاية الدولية وتامين العناية العلمية لها لغرض حمايتها وإجراء الصيانة العامة عليها وإدخال اجزاء منها ضمن الموروث العالمي .
.
وقال محافظ نينوى أثيل النجيفي لوكالة انباء بغداد الدولية / واب / " أن الإتقاقية التي وقعت اليوم تضمنت بنودا أخرى منها تطوير قطاعي التعليم والإعلام وتنمية الحانب الثقافي زيادة على ملف الآثار ، انها تعد أول اتفاقية عامة شاملة والتي سيخرج منها عدة فعاليات ثانوية من شأنها العمل على الحفاظ على الآثار في محافظة نينوى وشمولها ببرامج الصيانة والتطوير الدائم وسوف تكون داخلة حيز التنفيذ بعد استحصال المصادقة عليها من قبل مجلس المحافظة ".

واضاف :" أن فريق من منظمة اليونسكو كلف بإنجاز دراسة تفصيلية عن الوضع العام لمنارة الحدباء وسبل الحفاظ على ذلك المعلم التاريخي المهم مؤكدا بأن هذا القرار جاء بعد تعذر إجراء مثل هذه الدراسة من قبل المختصين المحليين ، حيث أنهم لم يستطيعوا الوصول الى الشكل الحقيقي الذي قامت عليه أسس المنارة مما يجعل إمكانية صيانتها من قبل الفريق المحلي أمر مستبعد ".

من جانبها كشفت كفاح دحام عضو مجلس محافظة نينوى عن تخصيص ثلاثة مليارات دينار من ميزانية العام الحالي لغرض البدء بصيانة منارة الحدباء التي تتعرض لتدهور برز في زيادة معدل الإنحناء الظاهر على شكلها الخارجي .

وأضافت :" أن مليار دينار سوف تذهب الى فريق مختص من المنظمة الدولية "اليونسكو" لغرض انجاز الدراسات المطلوبة في حين إستبعدت قيام المحافظة بإستملاك الدور التي تقع بالقرب من منارة الحدباء في الوقت الراهن مرجحة البدء بهذه الخطوة في العام المقبل حين تتوفر مبالغ كافية للبدء ببرنامج الصيانة "./انتهى

[Sinjar]

10 Minutes Of Terror On Vacation In Iraq



by Sean McLachlan on Nov 19th 2012

I'm in Samarra, in the heart of the Sunni Triangle, the birthplace of the insurgency and a hotspot for sectarian tension in war-torn Iraq. My heart is racing and my mouth is dry. This is the most frightened I've been in months.

But I'm not scared of the Sunnis, I'm scared of plummeting to my death.

I'm climbing one of the famous spiral minarets of Samarra, a pair of towers with a narrow staircase snaking up the exterior. They were built in the ninth century. The taller one is 52 meters (171 feet) and the shorter one is 34 meters (112 feet). I'm on the shorter one. It doesn't feel short to me.

As I've mentioned before, I have a fear of heights, a phobia that years of rock climbing never cured. That doesn't stop me from going up one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture, though. I'm a sucker for medieval buildings.

Up I go, step by step. They're steep, a bit uneven, and they relentlessly narrow as they rise higher. You can see just how little room there was between me and the abyss in the above photo. That's my foot at the lower right, and beyond the step you can see our bus, which comfortably seats 20 people.

The stairs are wide enough, I tell myself. I've climbed narrow spiral staircases hundreds of times and have never fallen off.

But there was no risk of death on those, a little voice tells me.

"Shut up," I reply, and keep climbing.

They tell me the muezzin who ascended this minaret five times a day to give to call to prayer was blind. He'd keep one hand on the wall and climb without seeing how high up he was. I can't decide if that's a good hiring decision or a bad one.

I keep both my hands gripped on the aging, crumbly brick. I've been climbing for what seems like hours. Surely I must almost be there?

"Go back!" someone shouts from below.

You're kidding me, right?

"Go back, there's no room!"

From around the corner comes another member of our group, a Norwegian sailor who has no fear of heights. When he sees me he stops.

"Go back," I say.

"Don't worry, I'll pass you," he replies.

"That's a really bad idea. Go back."

He comes close. I flatten myself on the wall as he reaches around me, grabs the edge of the brick, and eases past. You can see his brave/foolish move in the photo gallery, as well as the beautiful panorama that awaited me when, a few steps later, I reached the top.

It was worth the climb. Even more rewarding was that sharp-edged feeling I had the entire time going up and the adrenaline rush of the even more hazardous trip down. Colors and sounds were vivid, every step a crucial moment – every moment a lifetime of excitement.

Want to get high? Skip the drugs and grab your fear by the balls.

[Sinjar]

A Sneak Peek At The Soon-To-Reopen National Museum Of Iraq



by Sean McLachlan on Nov 20th 2012

The National Museum of Iraq is as battered and defiant as the country it represents. Battered because it has suffered looting and neglect, defiant because its staff fought to protect it. Now they're rebuilding and the museum will soon reopen.

I got a sneak peak while visiting Iraq and was overawed. I knew I would be. Here is the treasure house of the dawn of civilization. Giant statues of Assyrian guardian demons stand next to cases filled with wide-eyed Sumerian statues pleading with their gods. Detailed bas-reliefs from excavated palaces show scenes of war and hunting. Cases full of cylinder seals show scenes of Babylonian life in miniature.

My favorite was the writing. The first scribes developed a simple system around 3300 B.C. or even earlier. Clay tokens represented objects such as sheep or jugs of beer. These were often sealed in clay envelopes with an impression of the tokens on the outside, thus creating the first contracts. Soon tablets were used with a system of writing that was mostly pictorial – a bull's head represented a bull, etc. As the needs of the developing civilization grew more complex, so did the system of writing. The pictures morphed into almost unrecognizable collections of lines, and words for abstract ideas appeared. The writing was done with a stylus on soft clay to make a series of wedge-shaped impressions called cuneiform.

Looking at these ancient texts was hypnotic. The same process we're engaged in right now, with me writing and you reading, was going on 5,000 years ago in a vastly different culture. We don't have to know each other or even be in the same country to communicate. It was an incredible innovation that opened up countless possibilities for the human race.

As I studied the galleries I was amazed that anything survived the chaotic days after the fall of Baghdad in 2003. The Coalition troops hadn't been given any instructions to protect the museum, so looters broke in and ransacked the place. Museum staff came back in force and drove them off, a brave act considering the looters were armed. Eventually the museum workers convinced the U.S. Army to post some guards.

It was too late. Thousands of priceless artifacts had been stolen. Some were later recovered but most have disappeared into the private homes of "collectors." Luckily, the museum staff had hidden some of the best artifacts in secret locations. They told no one, not even the Coalition, about their existence until the situation had stabilized.

Now workers are busy finishing up the displays. Twenty-two galleries have been completed and there are five more to go. Some rooms survived the war relatively intact and will look familiar to those who were lucky enough to visit before the war. Others have been completely remodeled. The museum officials didn't allow me to photograph those. It seemed an odd restriction. Wouldn't they want people to see their hard work? When traveling in Iraq, you get used to random rules. You just have to shrug your shoulders and move on.

In one room I found a member of the staff restoring an Abbasid sarcophagus made of teak. As I studied the intricately carved designs he explained in perfect English that he was filling in the cracks and chips with a paste made from powdered teak and "micro balloons," tiny polymer spheres that act as a chemically inert adhesive. I asked if I could take a picture of his work and he said no.

"That's the museum's rule, not mine," he said apologetically.

He and his coworkers have done a good job. The difference between the traditional galleries and the remodeled ones is astounding. The new galleries have better lighting and signage and show off the museum's artifacts to much better advantage. All the galleries, both new and old, have signage in both Arabic and English.

The National Museum of Iraq is due to have a grand reopening in two months. As with everything in this struggling nation, the date is subject to change due to security issues and funds not getting to the right place at the right time. The work is almost done, though, so one of the greatest museums in the Middle East will almost certainly reopen in 2013 to teach a new generation of visitors about the wonders of Iraq's past.

[Sinjar]

Early bone jewelry



Alabaster statuettes of man and mother goddesses, 6th millennium BC



Pictographic writing, late 4th millennium BC, the precursor to cuneiform

[Sinjar]

The Sumerian scribe Dudu, 2400 BC



Gilgamesh wrestling two lions, early 3rd millennium BC



Worshipping the old gods, 3rd millennium BC

[Sinjar]

Ewer inlaid with shell from Uruk, 3rd millennium BC



Sumerian woman from Uruk, 3000 BC




Sumerian worshippers

[Sinjar]

Assyrian King Sargon II in his chariot as soldiers pile up heads of defeated enemies



Assyrian guardian spirit




Some parts of the museum are still under construction

[Sinjar]

Rare Assyrian glazed brick




Nabu, god of Wisdom and literature, next to some random blogger





Assyrian king with symbols of the gods

[Ali - Iraq]

Visiting Ur, Ctesiphon, And Babylon In Iraq
Posted Nov 30th 2012 10:00AM by Sean McLachlan
Filed under: Arts and Culture, History, Learning, Iraq, Middle East

Iraq is an ancient land. It's seen a lot of civilizations come and go and each one has left behind spectacular monuments and rare treasures. On a recent visit, I had the privilege to experience many of these sites. Last time, I talked about the monuments of the Assyrian Empire. Today, I want to talk about three more of Iraq's ancient wonders.

Perhaps the most famous is Babylon. It was the political and spiritual capital of southern Mesopotamia starting with the ruler Hammurabi (ruled 1792-1550 B.C.), the same king who created the famous law code. The city had its ups and downs but reached a peak under Nebuchadnezzar II (ruled 604-562 B.C.).

Babylon was home to the fabled Tower of Babel and the Hanging Gardens. Equally impressive were its city walls, which stretched for 8 kilometers. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus said they were wide enough on top to allow a four-horse chariot to turn around.

The story of the Tower of Babel may have been inspired by a giant stepped pyramid called a ziggurat. It was a temple to the god Marduk and stood 300 feet high. It was later quarried for its baked bricks and there's little left. The Hanging Gardens have also vanished. What does remain are the city walls and the fabulous Ishtar Gate with its glazed brick reliefs of bulls and dragons. It was through this gate that the images of the gods would be taken in procession. The name Babylon means "the gate of the gods."

The gate was excavated by a German team in the early 20th century and carted back to Staatliche Museen in Berlin. The gate at Babylon today is a modern reconstruction, and it's not even full size. Far more impressive are the city walls, also reconstructed, and the original processional way, which, like the Ishtar Gate, is decorated with strange beasts.

Part of the original street level of the processional way remains – a flat surface of bitumen, an early form of asphalt. Strange to say, I found this simple stretch of pavement one of the most evocative sights in a country filled with ancient treasures. People walked along here more than 2,500 years ago, and there it was, stretched out before me. I desperately wanted to vault over the fence and stroll down the road, but even Iraq's archaeological sites have guards and regulations. What a pity.

Babylon's reconstruction was done under the rule of Saddam Hussein, who fancied himself one of the great kings of Mesopotamia. He got the cruelty part down pat, but missed out on the greatness. He couldn't even do a decent reconstruction. Against the advice of the archaeological community, he built the new walls atop the originals and obliterated much of the ancient remains. In true ancient style he had bricks bearing his name used in the building. And now in true ancient style, his people have been busy erasing his name ever since his inglorious end. One of Saddam's palaces stands on a hill overlooking the site – an empty shell.

Gallery: Ur, Ctesiphon, and Babylon



When Babylon was enjoying its heyday, the Sumerian city of Ur was already ancient. Its foundation is lost in time, stretching back at least seven thousand years. The city grew steadily and became the center of the most sophisticated civilization the world had yet seen. Writing thrived here, with scribes producing countless clay tablets written in cuneiform, a complex script of wedge-shaped impressions.

The first dynasty of Ur, starting in the 26th century B.C., was hugely wealthy and powerful. Some of Sumer's best-known treasures come from the royal tombs dating to this period, such as elaborately decorated harps, the Royal Standard decorated with scenes of war and peace, and delicate gold jewelry from the queens, princesses and their female servants. The British Museum now owns many of them. Click the link for an amazing slideshow.

The Third Dynasty was even greater than the First and saw a flourishing of the arts and science. It also created the first known law code, the Code of Ur-Nammu, 300 years before the Code of Hammurabi. This dynasty completely rebuilt Ur and also put up the Great Ziggurat, pictured above, which got a modern facelift courtesy of Saddam Hussein.

One archaeologist I met back in the U.S. told me that during the war, Saddam parked some of his fighter planes next to the ziggurat, hoping they'd be safer there than in the nearby air force base. They got strafed by an A-10 and some of the bullets hit the ziggurat. I intended on checking for bullet holes but got so entranced with where I was that I forgot to. Maybe next time.

Zipping forward several centuries we come to Ctesiphon, the capital of the Parthian Empire in the first century B.C. and later the Sassanid Persian Empire. All that's visible today is the Taq-i Kisra, shown below. This was an iwan, or great hall, built by the Sassanids in the sixth century A.D. The building was a royal winter residence and it was here in the iwan that this king would sit on his throne and rule his kingdom. The giant brick vault soars 110 feet into the air and used no reinforcement. It's the largest of its kind ever built and despite all the years and wars and invasions, it's still standing.

All of these sites and many more have suffered from looting and neglect in the tough years since the invasion. Luckily, a dedicated band of Iraqi and foreign archaeologists have been busy preserving them. New excavations have started and hopefully, as more incredible finds are uncovered, Iraq's ancient past will come to light.

Don't miss the rest of my series, "Destination: Iraq," chronicling my 17-day journey across this strife-ridden country in search of adventure, archaeology and AK-47s.

Coming up next: "The Christian Community Of Iraq!"

[All photos by Sean McLachlan]

[Ali - Iraq]

[Sinjar]

Pope to visit Ur, says senior provincial official

By Basem al-Rikabi, Azzaman, November 30, 2012

The southern Province of Dhiqar, where the Biblical city of Ur lies, says it has received “assurances” that Pope Benedict XVI will pay homage to the ancient city.

“The Province has received assurances that Pope Benedict XVI will visit Ur and the house of the Prophet of God Abraham,” said the head of the provincial council, Qusai al-Ibadi.

According to the Bible, Abraham was living in Ur before leaving for Palestine.

Ibadi said the government in Baghdad has sent a letter to Dhiqar’s provincial council confirming that the papal visit will go ahead.

Ibadi did not say when the Pope would visit and whether the Vatican had confirmed that he would be touring Ur.

But he added: “The province has received a request from the federal government via the minister of state for provincial affairs to start preparations for the expected visit.”

He also said the Vatican was coordinating with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities for arrangements that are necessary to facilitate the papal visit.

Ibadi said the province has allocated millions of dollars “to complete the preparations for the pilgrimage” and turn Ur into a tourist attraction for Christians across the world.

Ur is one of Iraq’s most fascinating ancient relics. The city was the seat of Sumerian civilization which flourished in southern Iraq nearly 5000 years ago.

The Sumerians are accredited to have invented writing and set up the first system of civil government in their city states.

[Sinjar]

Italian scientists uncover new graves in Ur

By Khayoun Saleh, Azzaman, November 26, 2012

A team of Italian archaeologists have found seven new graves in the ancient city of Ur, which according to the Bible was the birth place of Abraham.

“The graves belong to the Akkadian period and date to 2200 B.C.,” according to the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Liwa Sumaism.

Ur is one of Iraq’s most fascinating ancient attractions and the site has given the world some of the most splendid artifacts ever discovered in Mesopotamia.

The city, located in the southern Province of Dhiqar, was a major metropolitan for the Sumerians, whose civilization flourished in Iraq around 3000 BC.

The Sumerians are believed to be among the world’s first civilized societies. They invented writing, wrote a constitution and built a civil and municipal system of government in their city-estates among them Ur.

The Akkadians were the first Semites who invaded southern Iraq and established the world’s first known empire following the demise of the Sumerians.

Sumaism, describing the funeral artifacts accompany the graves, said they “are very valuable, reflecting that the region was then passing through a period of prosperity.”

“The Italian expedition is to study the finds and provide a general picture of the economic conditions of the region” more than 5000 years ago, he added.

[Ishtarporten]

Wow they should excavat the whole Ur

[sheytanElKebir]

they would need to spend HUNDREDS of millions of USD to turn Ur into a regular tourist site... at the moment facilities are, shall I say... non existent.

[Ishtarporten]

Originally Posted by sheytanElKebir

they would need to spend HUNDREDS of millions of USD to turn Ur into a regular tourist site... at the moment facilities are, shall I say... non existent.

Inshallah in the future

[SumerianKing]

My hairs stands when I relies that only around 5% of Ur and <10% of Babylon has been unearthed/excavated.
I think there are so many hidden treasures.

I think it is destined that great things will be excavated in the new future which would make all Iraqis proud and bring new positivity to the broken widowed face of Iraq.

[Ali - Iraq]

Iraq recovers 21 artefacts from Spain
2012-12-17
The Iraqi government said Monday (December 17th) it has recovered 21 artefacts from Spain -- dating back to Babylonian, Sumerian and Abbasid eras -- that had been lost in Iraq in 2003.

The Spanish government handed over the artefacts, including a precious Assyrian necklace previously seized by the Spanish authorities, through its embassy in Baghdad on Sunday, Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Musawi told Al-Shorfa.

"Iraq really appreciates Spain's initiative," al-Musawi said. "Meanwhile, we're holding negotiations with about 11 other countries to recover various archaeological finds and artefacts lost from the National Iraqi Museum in 2003."

[Al-Hashimi]

Originally Posted by Ali - Iraq

Iraq recovers 21 artefacts from Spain
2012-12-17
The Iraqi government said Monday (December 17th) it has recovered 21 artefacts from Spain -- dating back to Babylonian, Sumerian and Abbasid eras -- that had been lost in Iraq in 2003.

The Spanish government handed over the artefacts, including a precious Assyrian necklace previously seized by the Spanish authorities, through its embassy in Baghdad on Sunday, Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Musawi told Al-Shorfa.

"Iraq really appreciates Spain's initiative," al-Musawi said. "Meanwhile, we're holding negotiations with about 11 other countries to recover various archaeological finds and artefacts lost from the National Iraqi Museum in 2003."

Great news. I just hope Iraq can protect it properly. I wonder what kind of artifacts those are. Especially the Abbasid ones which are now mostly scattered across the world - unfortunately.

[Euphrates]

العراق يطالب المانيا بارجاع بوابة عشتار التاريخية



بحثت وزارة السياحة والآثار العراقية، الأحد، مع القائم بالأعمال الألماني في العراق آليات إعادة "مزججات" بوابة عشتار التاريخية، معتبرة إياها جزءاً من الإرث الحضاري والتاريخي لوادي الرافدين.

وقال مدير المكتب الإعلامي لوزير السياحة والآثار حاكم الشمري في حديث لـ"السومرية نيوز"، إن "وزير السياحة لواء سميسم بحث، اليوم، مع القائم بالأعمال الألماني الكسندر شونفلدر آليات إعادة مزججات بوابة عشتار التاريخية الموجودة في المانيا إلى العراق"، معتبراً أن "هذه المزججات تعد جزءاً من الإرث الحضاري والتاريخي لوادي الرافدين".

من جانبه، قال القائم بالأعمال الألماني إن "المانيا ترغب بمشاركة العراق في معرض أور الذي يقام في الربع الأول من العام المقبل في ألمانيا".

وكانت وزارة السياحة والآثار العراقية أعلنت، أمس السبت (15 كانون الأول 2012)، عن تسلمها 21 قطعة أثرية وقلادة من اسبانيا سرقت بعد 2003، مؤكدة أن القطع تعود لمختلف العصور.

يشار إلى أن بوابة عشتار التاريخية هي البوابة الثامنة لمدينة بابل الداخلية، بناها نبوخذ نصر عام 575 ق.م، في شمالي المدينة إهداء لعشتار الإلهة البابليين، وكشف المنقب الألماني روبرت كولدواي في عام 1899 عن أول معالم هذه المدينة.

يذكر أن أكثر من 15 ألف قطعة أثرية نهبت من العراق فضلاً عن عشرات الملايين من الوثائق المتعلقة بالأرشيف العراقي، تسلم العراق منها نحو 8000 قطعة أثرية، فيما يزال القسم الأكبر من أرشيف الدولة العراقية موجوداً في الولايات المتحدة.