MOSUL, Iraq: Iraqi officials on Thursday said Mosul’s once-celebrated museum had entered the final stages of restorations ahead of a planned 2026 reopening after being closed to the public for 20 years.
The museum closed its doors in 2003, amid the chaos following the US-led invasion of Iraq, and was later ransacked by Daesh militants after they seized the city in 2014.
“We are celebrating today, in the city of two springs, the launch of the Mosul Museum’s rehabilitation project,” the director of Iraq’s antiquities authority, Laith Majid, said at a press conference.
“This museum, an icon of museums in Iraq, was targeted by a blind barbarian assault,” Majid said, referring to the destruction by Daesh.
The militants used sledgehammers and power tools to deface ancient statues and pre-Islamic treasures housed in the museum, releasing an infamous video showing the destruction in 2015.
A gaping hole remains in the floor of the museum’s famed Assyrian gallery, caused by a bomb explosion.
“Part of this cavity will be preserved, as a witness throughout history to what has been perpetrated,” said Khair Al-Din Ahmed Nasser, head of antiquities in Nineveh province, of which Mosul is the capital.
A new display was inaugurated, showcasing the museum’s history, collection and current restoration plans, as part of efforts supported by France’s Louvre Museum, the Smithsonian Institute and the World Monument Fund.
It comes within the “second and final phase” of the “total reconstruction and rehabilitation of the museum building” and should be completed within two or three years, said Nasser.
Among the pieces defaced by Daesh and under restoration at the museum are treasures from the ancient Assyrian site of Nimrud, including a winged lion, two imposing “lamassu” — winged bulls with human heads — and the throne base of the ninth century BC King Ashurnasirpal II.
“Out of five works, there are three that are extremely advanced,” said Barbara Couturaud from the Louvre.
The artefacts are being revived with financing from the International Alliance for the Protection of Cultural Heritage in Conflict Areas (ALIPH).
“The pieces have been identified... now they have to be assembled. These are sculptures that weigh several tons, requiring extremely complicated handling,” she said, adding she hoped they would be ready for the planned full reopening in summer 2026.
Iraqi museum damaged by Daesh works toward reopening
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Iraqi museum damaged by Daesh works toward reopening
- The museum closed its doors in 2003, amid the chaos following the US-led invasion of Iraq, and was later ransacked by Daesh militants after they seized the city in 2014
- "This museum, an icon of museums in Iraq, was targeted by a blind barbarian assault," Majid said, referring to the destruction by Daesh
Senegalese president meets Kuwaiti crown prince ahead of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
- Bassirou Diomaye Faye visits Kuwait and the UAE this week to strengthen his country’s ties with Gulf nations
LONDON: The president of Senegal, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, arrived in Kuwait on Monday for an official visit before traveling on to the UAE to participate in Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.
Faye, who was accompanied by ministers responsible for national transformation, African integration, foreign affairs, finance and water management, held talks with Kuwait’s crown prince, Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, on a number of issues, officials said.
The president aims to strengthen ties between Senegal and Gulf countries during his visits to Kuwait and the UAE this week, his office said. And on Jan. 14 and 15 he will take part in the final two days of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, described as a significant annual, international event dedicated to addressing the challenges related to sustainable development, energy transition and innovation.
Faye was welcomed on arrival in Kuwait by the country’s prime minister, Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah; the deputy assistant foreign minister for African affairs, Naif Mohammed Al-Mudhaf; and other officials.
