![]() It’s part of the fabric of what people do to continue the sense of who they are.”Ĭultural heritage is also a powerful economic driver, and these sites are vital to local economies. Katharyn Hanson, an archaeologist and Secretary’s Scholar with MCI, recalls how in Erbil “there’s a tradition of dressing up in traditional clothing and going on picnics on the weekends at historical sites. These besieged Iraqi sites and artifacts represent world heritage, but they also hold irreplaceable value for local communities. In one of the most notorious examples, looters took an estimated 15,000 objects from the Iraq National Museum in the early days of the U.S. ![]() Even before the ISIS campaign to destroy cultural heritage, historical sites suffered from neglect brought on by violence and instability over the past 30 years in the region that weakened conservation efforts. The Biblical sites of Babylon, Nimrud, and Nineveh are located in modern Iraq. Powerful civilizations from the Sumerians to the Neo-Assyrians ruled the region. Often called the “Cradle of Civilization,” Iraq was home to ancient Mesopotamian peoples who developed the world’s first writing, agriculture and cities, between 10,000 and 3,000 BCE. Iraqi cultural heritage professionals practice salvage techniques for museum collections. By providing the tools, knowledge, and networks needed to preserve Iraqi heritage, Smithsonian experts are helping Iraqis build a better future. “There’s a lot of symbolic value to these sites.” Since 2015, the Smithsonian has been partnering with many different colleagues and institutions to train Iraqi heritage professionals at the Iraqi Institute for the Conservation of Antiquities and Heritage in Erbil, capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan region. ![]() “It’s as if ISIS came and blew up a National Park Service monument,” explains Jessica Johnson, Head of Conservation at the Smithsonian’s Museum Conservation Institute (MCI). The demolition came amidst a wave of ISIS vandalism against ancient sites in northern Iraq. After attacking ancient sculptures and frescoes with sledgehammers and power tools, the terrorist group detonated the 3,000-year-old Assyrian ruins that stood outside ISIS-occupied Mosul. On April 11, 2015, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) released a video of the ancient city of Nimrud erupting in a colossal cloud of dust.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |