02:49Iraq: Basra museum displays over 2,000 previously 'looted' artefacts
A new museum in Basra housing over 2,000 previously looted artefacts opened its doors to the public on Thursday.
Among those artefacts there are also around 160 which date back to the Assyrian era and were retrieved from abroad, including from the United States of America, reports say.
"We have launched the museum of Basra to preserve these archaeological artefacts. We welcome all efforts to retrieve any objects from inside or outside of Iraq,” said Nashat Mansouri, Member of the Provincial Council and Committee on Tourism and Antiquities.
Mansouri aims to maintain the museum “to restore the cultural heritage of Basra, in order for it to become a tourist destination," and spoke on the damage done to the city’s history and museums, saying “we heard from time to time about mobs that looted these sites and smuggled the artefacts abroad. Some tried to destroy these sites just like ISIS mobs did. They destroyed and attacked museums which suffered great damage.”
02:49A new museum in Basra housing over 2,000 previously looted artefacts opened its doors to the public on Thursday.
Among those artefacts there are also around 160 which date back to the Assyrian era and were retrieved from abroad, including from the United States of America, reports say.
"We have launched the museum of Basra to preserve these archaeological artefacts. We welcome all efforts to retrieve any objects from inside or outside of Iraq,” said Nashat Mansouri, Member of the Provincial Council and Committee on Tourism and Antiquities.
Mansouri aims to maintain the museum “to restore the cultural heritage of Basra, in order for it to become a tourist destination," and spoke on the damage done to the city’s history and museums, saying “we heard from time to time about mobs that looted these sites and smuggled the artefacts abroad. Some tried to destroy these sites just like ISIS mobs did. They destroyed and attacked museums which suffered great damage.”