Iraq - Heritage In Danger

[6.21.2003 | Iraq]

Thanks to an exceptional combination of geographical and climatic factors, a surplus of agricultural production led to the development of sophisticated societies, the invention of writing and the establishment of the first urban settlements and legal codes. In more recent periods of our history, Baghdad has been the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate and the political and cultural centre of one of the three Monotheistic Religions.

Mesopotamia, from the Tabula Peutingeriana, National Library, Vienna

This exceptional heritage is exposed to a number of dangers. The first Gulf War of 1991, and the lack of appropriate care over the following years, have already taken their toll. A new armed conflict, and the period of turmoil which would presumably follow, might have more serious consequences for the state of conservation of these sites, as well as of other significant cultural sites and movable and immovable properties located throughout the territory.

Iraq and the World Heritage Convention

In previous years, Iraq had significantly contributed to the efforts of UNESCO for the protection of the cultural heritage, by supporting its International Safeguarding Campaigns. One of the first States to join, Iraq ratified the Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage already in 1974.

Despite the undisputed richness of its heritage, however, only one site in Iraq has been inscribed to this day on the UNESCO World Heritage List, the City of Hatra, an important centre prospered around the second and third century CE between the Roman Empire and the Parthian Kingdom.

Hatra, aerial view (from Henry Stierlin, "Cités du désert : Pétra, Palmyre, Hatra", found in "Hatra, Citta' del Sole" catalogue of an exhibition organized by the Italian Archaeological Mission to Hatra)

In the year 2000, however, Iraq submitted a new "Tentative List", i.e. a list of sites that the country considers as priority for nomination in the coming years (see map). This Tentative List contains seven sites, from the Sumerian City-State of Ur to the Islamic Fortress of Al-Ukhaidar. Much remains to be done, however, to ensure that the outstanding diversity of the Iraqi heritage is adequately reflected in the World Heritage List. If and when the seven sites in the Tentative List are all inscribed on the World Heritage List and protected under the Convention, on the other hand, this would only cover a very small portion, though very representative, of the incredibly rich heritage of the Land between the Two Rivers.

Ashur and the Makhoul Dam

Also included in the Tentative List of Iraq, Ashur was the first Capital of the Assyrian Kingdom and a very important religious centre, from the third to the first millennium BCE. Like many other important sites in semi-arid zones, Ashur is currently threatened by the construction of a dam, some 40 Km south of the site. The Makhoul Dam, to be completed in 2006, is expected to have a reservoir with a full capacity of some 3 billions m3 of water, which will affect at least 60 archaeological sites in the area.

Under these conditions, parts of the city, especially to the south, would be flooded for certain periods of the year once the reservoir becomes operational. In any case, the archaeological remains of the ancient structures would suffer from infiltration and seepage of underground waters. In fact the water table of the whole area would rise considerably as the level of the reservoir formed by the dam rises to its maximum.

The site of Ashur and the Tigris River - (Photograph: L.Cavazza)

While the dam and reservoir are being constructed principally for irrigation purposes, there is nevertheless incorporated in the dam also a hydropower station exploiting the relatively large flows released from the reservoir for the generation of hydroelectric power.

The Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage is already devoting a large amount of staff and funds towards a project for the salvage of ancient Ashur and the surrounding area. In September 2002, however, the Iraqi authorities requested UNESCO's assistance to launch an international appeal for the safeguarding of the site. At the same time, Iraq submitted a Nomination File for the inscription of Ashur on the World Heritage List, hoping that this would strengthen its protection.

In November 2002, the World Heritage Centre and the Division of Cultural Heritage of UNESCO carried out a technical mission to assess the potential impact of the dam on the site, advise on possible protective measures and improve the Nomination File submitted by the Iraqi authorities.

Two types of solutions are envisaged to solve the problem: the construction of an earth embankment with impermeable core and cutoff wall into the foundations, a solution much similar to the main dam at Mak'Houl, or a reinforcement of the soil through a combination of gabions and mechanically strengthened soil to protect and support the slope of the reservoir. Both solutions will require an additional protection system to prevent the infiltration of the water under the barrier, into the fragile archaeological layers.

The Nomination will be presumably examined by the World Heritage Committee at its next Session of June 2003 in Suzhou (China). If convinced of the possibility to safeguard the site from the threat of the Dam, as well as of the political will of the country to allocate the necessary resources, the Committee might decide to inscribe Ashur on the List, making it the second World Heritage site of Iraq.

Other UNESCO Conventions for the protection of the cultural heritage

Beside the 1972 World Heritage Convention, Iraq is a also State Party to the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Heritage in the Event of Armed Conflict (the Hague, 1954), to its 1954 Protocol, and to the Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property (Paris, 1970), two Conventions adopted by UNESCO in its effort to protect cultural heritage.

During and after the 1991 conflict, the Iraqi authorities informed the Director-General of damage to the cultural heritage of Iraq. Concerning movable objects, in October 1991 the Permanent Delegation of Iraq to UNESCO transmitted to the Secretariat four volumes of documentation on items missing from a number of Iraqi provincial museums and requested assistance in their recovery. UNESCO forwarded copies of these volumes to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the International Foundation for Art Research (IFAR), the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and the auction house Sotheby's (London) for the information of the London market.

This close-circuit camera security system at the Iraqi Museum in Baghdad, as well as a new air-conditioning system, have been installed with UNESCO financial assistance in the year 2000. (photograph by G.Boccardi, UNESCO WHC)
	The Qasr Al-Abbasi, in Baghdad, had been partially affected during the 1991 war. The monument, today housing the famous cultural Institution "Bayt Al Hikma", was rehabilitated with support from UNESCO in 1999. (photograph by G.Boccardi, UNESCO WHC)

UNESCO also issued in March 1995 a press release alerting the museum community, collectors and art dealers against any purchase of artefacts possibly stolen in Iraq. On 1 August 1995, moreover, the Organization published a notice of certain representative missing pieces including their photographs and detailed description.

This sculpted head, fortunately recovered by the Iraqi authorities, had been looted from a site and cut into pieces in view of its illicit export. (photograph by G.Boccardi, UNESCO WHC)

It is important to stress that the principles of protecting and preserving cultural property in the event of armed conflict are not only shared as binding treaty-law principles by 103 States Party to the 1954 Convention but, according to Resolution 3.5 of the twenty-seventh session of the General Conference of UNESCO (November 1993), they could also be considered part of international customary law.

For further information on the Hague Convention and the Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property click here.

Email this | del.icio.us

0 responses to: "Iraq - Heritage In Danger"

Leave a comment:

Name*

Email* (will not be published)

Website



Please enter the text in the image as shown below: