alt

Iraq’s Cultural Heritage between 2003 and 2023

March 2023 marked the 20-year anniversary of the US invasion and occupation of Iraq. Among the countless impacts of the war, violence and reconstruction efforts that followed has been their effects on Iraq’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Following the collapse of the government, looting occurred at an unprecedented scale—the most well-publicized instance was the looting of the national museum of Iraq (founded as the Baghdad Archaeological Museum nearly one hundred years ago in 1926), from which 15,000 artifacts were stolen over 36 hours in April of 2003. Meanwhile, displacement and violence following the expansion of ISIS in 2014 led not only to the destruction of heritage sites but to the targeting of minority cultures. 

LATEST POSTS

VIDEO

PODCAST

OTHER POSTS

title
Features

‘My questions are turned into a weapon to kill me’: the deadly war against Iraq’s journalists

At least 282 journalists have been killed in Iraq in the past 20 years, with many only able to work in exile

title
Features

Wives lives are wasted waiting for divorce: Men have priority over women in Iraqi courts

A man can obtain a divorce ruling from the courts within 15 to 30 days. A woman has to wait between up to five years to obtain the same legal ruling often giving up many or all her rights.

title
Features

Vegetarians in Iraq… Between Bullying and Poor Menus 

Basma and Nour face bullying and difficulty finding suitable food in restaurants because they are vegetarians. However, according to them, they still recommend the vegan experience and reconsidering animal product consumption to preserve health, the environment, and biodiversity.

title
Analysis

Law No. 111 in Iraq: Speaking Up is a Crime! 

Since 2003, the authorities began to strengthen their legislative arsenal with laws that protect their survival in a new form designed by the American occupation, which replaced the one-person and one-party rule with the hierarchical representation of sects and nationalism. There are Shiite, Sunnis, Kurds and other minorities represented by political blocs with leaders sharing power and resources by controlling the legislative, executive, and judicial authorities and protecting their power by exploiting and monopolising them.