The Iraq War & Archaeology Archive 49

Almost all are accessible for free (or after a free registration) on the internet. Each time, I try to draw attention to the most relevant tidbits of information, esp. things that were not mentioned before; occasionally, I provide some comment. The usual warning applies: many links become defective with time. Inclusion in the list does not in any way mean that I necessarily agree with the opinions expressed in an article. But for a few exceptions, the occasional photos and figures accompanying reviewed articles are just hotlinked images on other web sites, in other words: do not download them or request permission to publish them from me, for I do not own the copyright to them in any way! Please do contact the rightful owners if you would like to use them for publication purposes. Finally, for the sake of convenience, all articles and so on are assumed to have been published on US web sites unless indicated otherwise.

F. Deblauwe, "2003- IW&A: alert! web site pulled down again," in Iraqcrisis, online, April 15, 2005: "My 2003- Iraq War & Archaeology site was pulled down (again) by the University of Missouri-Kansas City. I don't know yet why, only that the CIO of the university ordered it and that the IT staff was instructed not to contact me about it. I am investigating and will keep everyone informed." [see also Deblauwe April 18, 2005]
"Cradle of Exploitation (As)," in RedNova, online, April 15, 2005: "Artifacts from the oldest human civilizations on earth have disappeared during the chaos of war in Iraq. Anthropologist Henry T. Wright has worked in the embattled region to document those losses, and he wants the world to know who's to blame. 'It is hard to determine who is responsible, but there are some very good investigative reporters working on this, and I hope they will name names,' said Wright in a phone interview from his home in Ann Arbor, Mich. 'I believe there is an international network of these illicit antiquities dealers, and I believe they saw this terrible war as an opportunity to enrich themselves. They recruited poor people in southern Iraq, some of whom had worked with archaeologists ... Wright, professor of anthropology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and curator for Middle East archaeology at the university's Museum of Anthropology, comes to Santa Fe on Thursday, April 21, to present the lecture 'Archaeological Crisis in Iraq: What Has Happened to Its Ancient Treasures?'" "At the University of Michigan from 1960, Wright worked ... on prehistoric sites in the Midwest and in France before fine-tuning his focus on gaining an understanding of the rise of hierarchical political systems in the early historic periods. Soon afterward, while doing graduate work at the University of Chicago, he first worked in Iraq. ... but the tides of political change were such that the kind of work I do -- regional archaeological studies -- was not possible. So I went on to other places.' ... During most of the [1970s], ... he studied the development of the first state administrations and urban economies in Iran between 4500 B.C.and 2500 B.C. When the country's 1978-1979 revolution made further archaeological research impossible, Wright began working in the African island nation of Madagascar." "'When the [Iraq] war clouds were building I was asked by National Geographic to think about what they might do, and I said that as soon as conditions were open, they could send a team in to see what had happened to the archaeological record during the conflict,' he recalled. ... 'We went in at time when everybody was still in shock, I think, and we were able to make good connections with old friends and colleagues in Iraqi archaeology to travel with them to sites they had not been able to get to very easily and to assess the degree of damage outside of Baghdad."

On April 14, 2005, I received an e-mail from Andy Lowings about the status of the replica of the bull lyre of Ur project; on the photo to the right you can see the replica is getting close to being finished; "It was our first presentation at the Edinburgh International Harp Festival last week. The story of its recreation put alongside the archaeology of the original finding was 'enthralling from start to finish'. The BBC World Service came along to make a programme." [I am pretty sure Andy is the man standing 2nd from the right; see also EurekAlert! July 28, 2005 and The Peterborough Evening Telegraph January 13, 2005]

M. Abu Nasr, "Iraqi Resistance Report for events of Sunday, 10 April 2005," in uruknet.info (Italy), online, April 12, 2005: "Iraqi Resistance forces attacked two black 'civilian' Chevrolet cars carrying American archaeological experts with Australian colleagues accompanied by another car owned by an American mercenary security company on Sunday morning, an officer in the puppet 'Iraqi army' told Mafkarat al-Islam in Baghdad. The officer told Mafkarat al-Islam’s correspondent that the Resistance fighters fired anti-tank rockets at two cars carrying one Australian and three American excavators for antiquities along with five American body guards. The attack completely destroyed the two cars, killing all aboard instantly. The scene of the ambush was near the historic site Iwan Kasra (Chosroes’ Palace) where the foreigners were planning to stop. Witnesses told Mafkarat al-Islam that two BMWs carrying a number of Resistance fighters carried out the attack. The correspondent, who arrived on the scene of the attack within the hour, found that US forces were removing the bodies under cover of intense secrecy. A giant truck was brought in to remove the wrecked cars to a location in Baghdad." [not confirmed by any other source]

Photo: "AP - Tue Apr 12,10:20 AM ET - Iraqi students demonstrate near the ancient spiral minaret in Samarra, Iraq Tuesday, April 12, 2005, against the U.S. military presence and the detainment of Iraqis. Emboldened by a newly elected government and the growing ranks of homegrown security forces, Iraqis are increasingly calling on American forces to leave their troubled nation, even though Iraqi leaders say it is too early for a U.S. pullout. (AP Photo/Hameed Rasheed)" (Yahoo! News)

C. Nadotti, "Il patrimonio artistico dell'Iraq in vendita all'asta su eBay. Il Museo internazionale di Bagdad denuncia il commercio illegale su internet di oggetti preziosi trafugati da scavi archeologici. Un portavoce del sito: 'E' possibile che ciò avvenga ma non possiamo controllare ogni singolo articolo,'" in la Repubblica (Italy), April 7, 2005: about John Simmons' campaign on his Iraq Museum International web site to publicize the large number of Mesopotamian artifacts continuously being put up for auction on eBay, a lot of which surely must have been looted recently; speculation that a lot of them have been offered for sale by Coalition soldiers; a spokesman for eBay said it's possible items stolen from Iraq could end up on eBay, but they can't check every single sale; if they would be approached by the authorities, then they would remove the item from auction; Simmons is correct in pointing out that eBay fails to warn potential buyers that artifacts coming from Iraq currently basically cannot be traded under penalty of law; the Iraq Museum International site listing provides a link to a form to report illegal activity directly to the FBI

Photo: "Uno dei sigilli in vendita su e-Bay" [(a seal impression of) "one of the seals for sale on eBay"]

A. Northedge, "Commentary on the damage to the Malwiya, Samarra," in Iraqcrisis, online, April 7, 2005: "The brick debris on the steps, and the colour of the bricks in the area damaged, suggest that the damage was mainly to the modern restoration. It should be recalled that the minaret, built in 849-852 [AD] by the Abbasid caliph al-Mutawakkil, survived into modern times essentially complete, with its edicule at the summit, but somewhat rounded by erosion over the centuries. In the 1960s and after, the spiral stairway and other elements were rebuilt into the original form. It is this restoration which was principally affected, though some damage may have occurred to the 9th century structure. The minaret is a solid mass of brick, and would be difficult to destroy entirely. The bomb used seems to have been small." "There is no doubt that the bombing was carried out by those opposed to the US occupation. According to my source, it was done to prevent the US reoccupying the minaret. ... Although it is possible that others of the rather diffuse Sunni revolt were responsible, there is no real reason to go beyond the activists of Samarra. I speculate that the bombing was so light because, in fact, the Samarrans do not really wish to destroy their minaret. What was done was not very successful. I believe there is a danger that a second attempt may be made. We have not yet heard what measures are being taken to protect the site." [but see Hussein and Freeman January 22, 2006]
J. Maris, "Antropoloog en conserveringsdeskundige Rene Teygeler verbleef zeven maanden in Irak om het cultureel erfgoed te beschermen," in De Ochtenden (VPRO; the Netherlands), with online audio, April 5, 2005: interview with René Teygeler (13 mins., start at about the 21st minute of the audio clip): toward the end of 2004, the security situation in Baghdad became so bad, he couldn't leave the Green Zone anymore, had to ask the Minister, the Director of the National Museum, etc, to come to him which was not workable in the long run; a Dutch soldier bought an ancient sheep sculpture on the market in el-Muthanna for a few dollars and brought it home to the Netherlands [where he got caught, I think]; a US soldier had bought artifacts on the tourist market at Babylon and then showed them to the Iraqi chief archaeologist of the site who was furious but Teygeler defused the situation; due to the danger, the only site outside Baghdad he was able to visit was Babylon; it is and remains a war zone [see also van Elk April 28, 2005]
J. Glassford, "Preserving Kirkuk History," in 411th Civil Affairs Battalion (Connecticut), with online video, April 5, 2005: there is a short, edited video and a long, unedited one; "An important historical find at a Kirkuk cemetery prompts an effort to preserve Kirkuk's history. Scenes of Soldiers learning about the site, driving out, seeing the ruins and the cemetery. Interviews with Staff Sergeant Matthew Heaney, 358th Civil Affairs; and Second Lieutenant Luke Stumme, civil engineer."; ancient graveyard (2,000 BC) found at the Kirkuk airbase (shots of finds), wall built around it; nice shots of the citadel, inside buildings, grave stones; scenes from in the museum; Heaney: the 600 known archaeological sites in Kirkuk province will be located accurately and documented so to be able to better protect them; working with the Nordic Heritage Fund [sic; Nordic World Heritage Foundation] to bring in someone to do a cultural heritage preservation conference on how to generate revenue from sites [see also Ospina January 26, 2006]

"Insurgent Attack on Spiral Minaret impacts Iraqi visitors and improvements to site," in Blackanthem Military News, online, April 4, 2005: "In February, Coalition forces gradually withdrew from the area around the Malwiya Tower as the Iraqi security forces, including the Ministry of Interior Police Commandos conducted operations to capture selected individuals around Samarra. On March 6, the Samarra City Council coordinated for the reopening of the Spiral Minaret. Over the past 25 days thousands of Iraqis have visited the site as construction began to improve the parking and foot traffic in the area." [that would explain what the men are doing in the photo "The ninth century Malwiya minaret, one of Iraq's most important monuments, is damaged after an explosion ..." (Yahoo! News April 2, 2005)]; "It is believed that insurgents placed an explosive charge near the top of the site earlier this week when civilian visits to the minaret were less frequent."
G. Leupp, "'A Disaster for the World; an Assault on Art.' The Bombing of the Malwiya Minaret," in CounterPunch, April 4, 2005: "'I feel tremendous sadness,' laments Alastair Northedge, a Sorbonne professor of Islamic art specializing on the ancient Iraqi city of Samarra. ... It is one of the most well known monuments in the world and its partial destruction is an assault on Islamic art and the world of art.'" "Samarra itself has been a site of ongoing military action, so the U.S. troops who now own it have naturally sought to employ its highest buildings as lookout posts. ... they established a lookout atop the minaret, and posted snipers there. ... Local people wrote letters of protest about this abuse of the holy place." "It's hard to understand why any insurgent faction would target the mosque. It is a Sunni mosque, but respected by the Shiites, and Shiites haven't been attacking Sunni mosques anyway." [it is of course not part of a functioning mosque anymore, more like a historical site with ruins]; "In the ancient city of Ur, according to the Guardian, U.S. forces during the invasion 'spray-painted the remains with graffiti' ..." [as far as I know, this rumor mentioned in Vulliamy May 18, 2003 was never substantiated]; "Today's barbaric occupiers display Mongol-like disrespect for their imperial prize. 'Let's take over the minaret,' they reason, and if that usage makes a precious monument a target, and it gets damaged, well, it's the Iraqis' just desserts. The foot soldiers of the new Golden Horde [refers to Mongols sacking Baghdad in the 13th century] are encouraged to believe that Iraqis must be subdued in order to protect the U.S. from more 9-11s. Better their buildings get blown up that ours, even those of theirs that have been there for hundreds or thousands of years. History doesn't matter. Like Bush told CBS's 60 Minutes last April: 'History? We don't know. We'll all be dead.' And what will the dead (or the 'raptured') care about Iraq's National Library or the Ishtar Gate or the Malwiya Minaret?"
R. Teygeler, "Malwiya, Samarra," in Iraqcrisis, online, April 4, 2005: "... it took me over 2 months to convince the occupying force[r]s in Samarra to retire the snipers on the minaret. ... Not soon after the tower got damaged by the insurgents. Let there be no mistake that this example shows that the insurgents are the ones who damaged their own 1100-year-old splendid ziggurat, a highlight of Iraqi cultural heritage." [actually, this isn't a ziggurat which was a Mesopotamian rectangular, terraced temple tower serving as a pedestal for a temple on top; this minaret (a tower connected with a mosque functioning a bit like a steeple of a church) is almost unique, the few other ones like it are imitations; some early European travelers did mistake it for the Tower of Babel (the ziggurat of Babylon), hence the paintings that use this form for the Biblical building; it may have been inspired by a type of Persian towers]; "Drs René Teygeler[,] former Senior Advisor <July 2003 - March 2004>[,] IRMO [Iraqi] Ministry of Culture"
M. Jansen, "Bombing and looting Iraq's heritage," in The Gulf Today (United Arab Emirates), online, [April 4, 2005]: "US soldiers should never have ascended the minaret, one of the oldest in the Islamic world and a model for architects building in Islamic Cairo and Andalusia. The spiral-minaret has for centuries been regarded as one of the national treasures and symbols of Iraq. Five years ago Iraq proposed that Unesco declare the minaret to be a world heritage site but this has not happened so far -- perhaps because the outsted Iraqi government was not a favourite in the West. Heritage should come before politics." "... the Arch of Ctesiphon, the 30-metre high gate of a Sassanian palace built in the 4th century and remodelled by the reformist King Chosroes I in the 6th century. The arch is the largest single span vault of unreinforced brickwork in the world and is one of its historical wonders. During World War II British troops fighting the Ottomans at Kut were told that the arch was not to be shelled even if the Turks were using the ruins of the palace as a firing or observation post. The arch was damaged in the 1991 Gulf war by US bombing. By the time the US resumed all-out war on Iraq in 2003 the state of the arch seems to have deteriorated seriously, almost certainly due to neglect. In April 2003, a briefing officer of US-allied Australian forces said that 'the arch is in such poor condition that even a surgical strike against an individual vehicle [halted beneath the arch] could cause it to fall because of the shock waves from an explosion.' Unesco has proposed a plan to stabilise the site but it has been [un]able to implement this plan due to the lack of security in the country." "But since the US has no real cultural heritage of its own [sic], it would appear that its rulers and citizens are not really interested in the cultural heritage of others, even if it forms a major part of the cultural heritage of the world."
K. Verhoeven, "Iraakse kunstschatten op wereldtournee. ,,Het Goud van Nimrod” toont 2.800 jaar oude collectie in elf musea," in De Standaard (Belgium), April 4, 2005: traveling exhibit "The Gold of Nimrud" as announced in Bailey March 31, 2005; a number of artifacts on loan from the British Museum will be included also [even though the exhibit won't be at the British Museum itself?; furthermore, the condition that there has to be an exhibition in Baghdad first, according to Bailey, for 2 months starting in July, would seem to be a hard condition to meet on such a short time schedule: as I write this, the National Museum is locked up and shut down, parts are even walled up, and Baghdad still has serious security problems; an exhibition of a gold and silver treasure would be a dream target for thieves, gangsters and insurgents; the Museum staff hasn't even reopened the regular exhibits yet; maybe a different venue would be chosen for this Baghdad "The Gold of Nimrud" exhibit? again though, it's hard to see how the general public could be allowed real access...]
Shawn, "Famous Minaret in Iraq Damaged," in Mad Canuck, online, April 4, 2005: "As I see it, there are three very fundamental reasons why the US military should never have allowed this minaret to be used for this purpose: Reason #1: It makes the minaret a valid target[.]" "Reason #2: It desecrates a religious site[.]" "Reason #3: Respect ... one of the most significant historic landmarks in Iraq." "It shouldn't take a lot of common sense to figure out that using this minaret as a sniper post could infuriate a lot of people, and if you know this, don't do it. Simple. The American military has been trying for the past two years to 'win the hearts and minds' of Iraqis, and have been doing a lot of work in this area: repairing infrastructure, rebuilding schools, handing out candy to kids, and the like. But, sadly, all it takes is one ignorant and short-sighted decision like desecrating a national landmark by using it as a sniper post to undo all of that hard work."
"Historisches Minarett in Samarra bei Kämpfen schwer beschädigt. Polizei: Malwiya-Gebetsturm von Rebellen bei Angriff beschossen," in Der Standard (Austria), April 3, 2005: according to a Samarra police spokesperson, the Spiral Minaret was shot at by insurgents in fighting with US soldiers and damaged [this contradicts all other reports so far that state that unknown men, thought by some to be insurgents, set off explosives]
A.C. Gustafson, "Citizen soldier and curator helps Iraqis save antiquities," in Pioneer Press (Minnesota), April 3, 2005: "As a Minneapolis Institute of Arts curator and a retired major in the U.S. Army Reserve, [Corine] Wegener felt she was uniquely qualified to help the Iraqis salvage what was left of the [National M]useum [in Baghdad]. ... From May 2003 to March 2004, she assisted the museum's staff with recovery efforts and acted as a liaison to the Iraqi minister of culture." "The security situation is really bad. The museum is one problem, but the massive looting of archaeology sites is another. There are over 10,000 archaeological sites in Iraq, and they are being looted right now because the security system is so poor, they can't safeguard against it."
S. Dagher, "Shiites and Sunnis Clash over Parliament. Five killed in car bomb in Iraq," in Philippine Daily Inquirer (Philippines), April 3, 2005: "Iraq's caretaker government pledged to repair the damage done to the ninth century Malwiya spiraling minaret in the city of Samarra, ..."
"Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison attacked," in The Age (Australia), April 3, 2005: "Also on Saturday, interim Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh issued a statement condemning the attack a day earlier against a ninth-century minaret in the central city of Samarra, calling it an 'affront to the nation's history and humanity'. The US military said the blast followed attempt to open the monument to visitors in early March." [what? I find that hard to believe; also, weren't there US snipers on top at the time?]; "'This incident reflects an attack not only on the good people of Samarra, but on all Iraqis,' said Maj Gen Joseph Taluto, commander of the 42nd Infantry Division and Task Force Liberty, the coalition force working with Iraqi security forces in Samarra. The explosion Friday blew away part of a wall on top of a minaret, ..."
"Iraqi Press Comments and Quotes -2 April 05," in Iraqi Media Monitoring (Jordan), April 3, 2005: "Al-Mada <from editorial> 'Today, the hand of sabotage has reached the historical Minaret of Samarra, having sapped the city itself of all signs of life. Everything Iraqi is doomed to death. This is the sole promise terrorists have for Iraqis, and it is indeed the sole aim of all those grudge-bearing foreign- paid mercenaries now on the rampage in Iraq.'"
R. Carroll and K. Diver, "Iraqi insurgents blow top off historic monument," in The Guardian (UK), April 2, 2005: "The blast punched a two-metre hole in the Malwiya, ..." [this isn't visible on any on the photos]; "A US military spokesman blamed insurgents and said there had been no coalition troops at the site yesterday." [seems to leave open whether US troops are at the site sometimes still—guarding it?—or not]
Omar, "Saturday, April 02, 2005," in Iraq the Model (Iraq), online, April 2, 2005: "The ignorant thugs decided to blow up the wall that surrounds the tip of the [Spiral M]inaret so that it won't be used again by the American or Iraqi troops as a watch tower/sniper station against them anymore. I am wondering here, why are historic sites like this minaret still being used for military purposes?" [actually, this one wasn't anymore for the last 2 weeks]; "Shouldn't the concerned Iraqi institutions do their job in taking care of these sites which constitute the historic fortune of this country? Or are we going to keep weeping and whining after each similar incident without doing anything to stop such saddening incident from happening again? The terrorists are directly responsible for the sabotage but the Iraqi government and the American troops are still responsible for ill-using the historic sites in some cases and not providing sufficient-if any-protection in other cases."
A. Van Buren, "Sfregiato il tesoro di Samarra i ribelli decapitano il minareto. Gli americani avevano scelto il capolavoro dell'arte islamica come posto di guardia ma dopo le proteste l'avevano lasciato. Negli scontri a fuoco tra insorti iracheni e soldati Usa è stata danneggiata la sezione superiore della torre," in la Repubblica (Italy), April 2, 2005: damage either due to terrorist explosives or mortar fire, depending on which witness accounts are to be believed; according to the locals, the US military did evacuate the minaret two weeks ago but it had been left unguarded ever since

Photo: "Sat Apr 2, 6:29 AM ET - The ninth century Malwiya minaret, one of Iraq's most important monuments, is damaged after an explosion in the Iraqi town of Samarra April 2, 2005. Part of the top section of the spiralling 52m (170 foot) tower was blown away in the blast, leaving crumbled brick and clay, according to witnesses in the town on Friday. It was not clear when the explosion occurred. REUTERS/Sabah Hamid" (Yahoo! News) [see also Blackanthem Military News April 4, 2005]

D. Smith, "Sunni leaders say it's OK to serve. New edict allows followers to join Iraqi army, police," in San Francisco Chronicle, April 2, 2005: "Samarra residents said they saw men climb the [Spiral Minaret] about 6:30 a.m. and leave before the explosion, but it was unclear who the bombers were."

Photo: "Iraqis stand atop the damaged spiral minaret on the landmark ninth century mosque in Samarra that was bombed. Associated Press photo by Hameed Rasheed"

Photo: "Fri Apr 1,10:36 AM ET - An Iraqi pauses amid the rubble at the top of the damaged ninth-century spiral minaret, one of Iraq's most recognized landmarks, after it was damaged by an explosion in Samarra Friday, April 1, 2005. Witnesses said two men climbed the 170-foot-tall (50-meter-tall) minaret, then returned to the ground before the explosion occurred. The minaret is a symbol of Samarra's past glory, the only remains of a mosque dating back from the Abbasid Islamic dynasty. (AP Photo/Hameed Rasheed)" (Yahoo! News)
Photo: "Fri Apr 1,10:36 AM ET - Iraqis clear rubble near the top of the damaged ninth-century spiral minaret, one of Iraq's most recognized landmarks, after it was damaged by an explosion in Samarra Friday, April 1, 2005. Witnesses said two men climbed the 170-foot-tall (50-meter-tall) minaret, then returned to the ground before the explosion occurred. The minaret is a symbol of Samarra's past glory, the only remains of a mosque dating back from the Abbasid Islamic dynasty. (AP Photo/Hameed Rasheed)" (Yahoo! News)
Photo: "Fri Apr 1,10:33 AM ET - An Iraqi youth looks up at the damaged ninth-century spiral minaret, one of Iraq's most recognized landmarks, after it was damaged by an explosion in Samarra, Iraq, Friday, April 1, 2005. Witnesses said two men climbed the 170-foot-tall (50-meter-tall) minaret, then returned to the ground before the explosion occurred. The minaret is a symbol of Samarra's past glory, the only remains of a mosque dating back from the Abbasid Islamic dynasty. (AP Photo/Hameed Rasheed)" (Yahoo! News)

[A. Castaneda], "Sunni clerics tell Iraqis to join security forces; historic Samarra minaret damaged," in CJAD (Canada), online, April 1, 2005: "U.S. troops have used [the Spiral Minaret's] top as a sniper position, and last year, the Islamic extremist group linked to Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi flew a flag from its peak. Sgt. Brian Thomas, a spokesman for the 42nd Infantry Division, said coalition forces no longer used the minaret. He said Iraqi police were investigating the explosion."

Photo: "Iraqis stand atop the damaged ninth-century spiral minaret, one of Iraq's most recognized landmarks, after it was damaged by an explosion in Samarra, Iraq, Friday (AP Photo/Hameed Rasheed) "

"Ancient minaret damaged in Iraq," in BBC News (UK), online, April 1, 2005: "Iraq's antiquities officials had expressed concern that US soldiers had also caused significant damage to historic sites in Samarra, including the walls of an ancient palace." "A senior government official told the BBC the Americans should have ensured it was properly protected. Iraqi antiquities officials have asked for compensation after the walls of an ancient palace in Samarra occupied by the Americans were cracked."

Photo: "The explosion left debris scattered on the minaret's external steps"

R.J. Abramo, "The Bush Crusade And The Fall Of Babylon," in Tonawanda News (New York), online, April 1, 2005: "What a shame [Babylon] sits about 50 km south of Baghdad, Iraq; an unconscionably unfortunate circumstance that one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World lies within the borders of an oil-rich nation recently occupied by a corporate-friendly administration which, above all else, holds greed as its most sacred value." "For, today, Babylon is a military base, suffering a daily toll ..." [actually, no: the base has been vacated]; "Frankly, I'm more than a little shocked that this hasn't been the focus of any significant media attention. At all. One can't go to any of the usual mass-media outlets and find this story, and searching for it is fruitless." [Abramo's web searching skills do leave something to be desired or he would at least have come across this site... with reviews of some articles on the damage at Babylon, albeit mostly from the wire services and British sources, e.g., McCarthy and Kennedy January 15, 2005]; "This media silence is apalling, because it means that the damage will likely continue, irreversably, so long as the Bush Crusade continues to march through the region; we, through our elected official and his corporate constituents will continue to defile and loot one of the greatest cultural finds in history." [I too am disappointed by the lack of interest in and follow-up of the Babylon story by the mainstream US media: if news doesn't fit the sensational visual-stimulation-and-saturation model, it barely deserves a mention anymore, so it seems sometimes; so far, only one cartoon has alluded to the Babylon fiasco (Reasons To Be Cheerful March 23, 2005) while you'd think that this subject would be ripe for satire]
A. Northedge, "Malwiya, Samarra," in Iraqcrisis, online, April 1, 2005: "According [to] my source, the US military left the minaret on 17th March at the request of the municipality of Samarra, and the destruction was carried out to prevent them returning." [the question then is who had responsibility over the security of the invaluable monument: the local police, the archaeological/heritage section of the Facilities Protection Service, the Iraqi army or the US army? also, how would this stupid act prevent the US military from going back up there? one more example of destroying your own country to save it? of course, asking for common sense or logic from the insurgents is ludicrous in itself]
"Blast damages ancient Iraq monument," in Yahoo! UK & Ireland News, online, April 1, 2005: "Photographs show part of the top section of the spiralling 52-metre tower, built in the 9th century, was blown away in the blast, leaving crumbled brick and clay. It was not clear when the explosion occurred. U.S. snipers occupied the tower until a week ago." [wrong, 2 weeks, see Yahoo! News "Rebels blow up ..." April 1]
A. Castaneda, "Historic Iraqi minaret damaged in explosion," in The Boston Globe, April 1, 2005: "In Samarra, 60 miles north of Baghdad, witnesses said two men climbed the 170-foot-tall spiral minaret, then returned to the ground before the explosion, which tore a large hole in the structure, police Lt. Qasim Mohammed said. The minaret is all that remains of a mosque dating back from the Abbasid Islamic dynasty and is featured on Iraq's 250-dinar bill. It was unclear why the minaret, one of Iraq's most famous landmarks, was targeted."
D. [Nishimura], "Samarra's minaret blasted," in Cronaca, online, April 1, 2005: "So which is worse: for a site to be occupied roughly, or not to be occupied at all? It's easy to complain when things go wrong, but there are no easy choices here. ... The destruction appears to be limited to the level above the arcade and niches, though there may well be more widespread damage not visible in the pictures." [also, how much of the damage is to original sections of the minaret and how much to reconstructed sections?]

"Rebels blow up top of famed ancient minaret in Iraq," in Yahoo! News, online, April 1, 2005: "The top tier of the 52-metre (170-foot) Malwiya tower was blown off in the attack, said police Lieutenant Colonel Mahmoud Mohammed. The explosion left debris on the tower's winding ramps and a jagged hole on the top level, an AFP reporter said. The unique yellow sandstone tower in Samarra, an ancient city on the banks of the Tigris river, was completed in 850 AD by the Islamic Abbasid dynasty. US troops had been stationed in the tower until two weeks ago." "Famed British archeologist Sir Mortimer Wheeler once paid a lavish tribute to the Malwiya minaret. 'What matters most about the Samarra minaret is not its formal design, but its startling originality. Strikingly bold and simple in design, functional, elemental, finely proportioned, comfortable to the eye. Here we have in the ninth century many qualities which bridge the centuries. The Malwiya is truly a great and rather lonely masterpiece.'" [see also Harris February 25, 2005]

Photo: "Fri Apr 1, 6:41 AM ET - A man looks at the top tier of the 52-metre (170-foot) Malwiya tower, a treasured national monument, which was blown off in an attack, said police Lieutenant Colonel Mahmoud Mohammed said, in the northern city of Samarra. The unique yellow sandstone tower in Samarra, an ancient city on the banks of the Tigris river north of Baghdad, was completed in 850 AD by the Islamic Abbasid dynasty. The mosque itself is largely in ruins, with only the outer walls standing.(AFP/Dia Hamid)" [the damage is fortunately limited to the very top]

"Collaborate with Iraqi Museum Professionals," in Aviso, April 2005: "Museums currently are being recruited to design immersive learning experiences for Iraqi museum professionals in collections management, security, development, education, and conservation (especially ivory). Each U.S. host is asked to work with two Iraqis for three to seven weeks. U.S. museums also can collaborate, ..." "This project is made possible by the generous support of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs." [see also Ledbetter April 28, 2005]
"The 106th Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America," in American Journal of Archaeology, 109, 2 (April 2005): "... in Boston, Massachusetts, on 6–9 January 2005." "Archaeological Institute of America Outstanding Public Service Award[:] John Malcolm Russell ..." "Following upon the first Gulf War in 1991, John Russell warned of the devastation taking place in the ancient cities of Mesopotamia. ... For the most part he was ignored, Cassandralike, and even those who were sympathetic dismissed his concerns on the grounds that nothing could be done. John Russell, however, did not lower his voice, publishing numerous articles in magazines such as Archaeology and Natural History. His efforts at alerting the wider public culminated in his important book, The Final Sack of Nineveh ... 1998). In these works Russell’s meticulous research called attention to Iraqi antiquities appearing on the international market and traced their origins back to specific sites and monuments. His earlier book, From Nineveh to New York ... 1997), also helped bring to the attention of a wide audience the hidden mechanisms and deleterious effects of the antiquities trade. As war with Iraq loomed in late 2002, Russell warned of a potential catastrophe of looting, urging that preventive measures be taken. He provided leadership and expertise to archaeological colleagues who at last were aroused to action. ... Following the U.S. invasion and the looting of the Iraqi National Museum, Russell became the most visible spokesman for archaeology and history at risk, giving many radio and television interviews and writing articles. ... His visible anger and sorrow only served to strengthen his message. When asked to join the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, Russell showed his willingness to take extreme risks in backing up his words with action. From September 2003 until June 2004, he served as Deputy Senior Advisor, then Senior Advisor, to the Iraq Ministry of Culture, ... With few resources he pressed for better protection of sites and practical efforts at restoring Iraqi museums. He also served as an inspiring leader for the staff of the Iraqi National Museum as they attempted to move toward the future."
B. Bull, "Rebirth of a Nation. Despite the success of the Iraqi elections, unrest continues. But the history-rich Kurdish north, reports Bartle Bull, may offer a preview of better things to come," in Travel + Leisure, April 2005: "I have a photograph from Iraqi Kurdistan that I sometimes hope might appear in my memoirs above the caption, 'Birth of the Iraqi tourist industry.' It shows two men, Kanan Mufti and Ken Herwehe, looking over the plain of Gaugamela, where, 2,336 years ago, Alexander won his third and decisive victory against Darius. Gaugamela, with its turreted elephants and scythed chariots, had always been one of my favorites among Alexander's battles. It was the first great clash of East and West in Mesopotamia. Kanan is head of antiquities in Iraq's Arbil governorate, and Lieutenant Colonel Herwehe was at the time one of the senior U.S.commanders in the region. ... I wanted to visit the ridge from which Darius had lost an empire. But Herwehe said it looked like land mine country. 'Saddam's officers were good at reading the terrain,' he said. 'War hasn't changed so much since Alexander's day.'" "The Medes who fought for Darius at Gaugamela were the forefathers of today's Kurds." "Kanan grew up in the citadel of Arbil, the Iraqi Kurdish capital. Arbil sits 100 feet above a flat plain, and every inch of its height is accumulated human history: it is the oldest city on earth, 8,000 continuous years of civilization ..." [of course, there are a few other places in the Middle East that claim this honor too...]
N. Norman, "Editorial Policy on the Publication of Recently Acquired Antiquities," in American Journal of Archaeology, 109, 2 (April 2005): the revised policy as decided by the AIA's Executive Committee in December 2004: "As a publication of the Archaeological Institute of America [AIA], the American Journal of Archaeology [AJA] will not serve for the announcement or initial scholarly presentation of any object in a private or public collection acquired after December 30, 1973, unless its existence is documented before that date, or it was legally exported from the country of origin. An exception may be made if, in the view of the Editor, the aim of publication is to emphasize the loss of archaeological context. Reviews of exhibitions, catalogues, or publications that do not follow these guidelines should state that the exhibition or publication in question includes material without known archaeological findspot."; the original 1978 AJA editorial policy was mirrored after the conference presentation policy of 1973 regarding the same issue and was as follows: "As the official journal of the Archaeological Institute of America, AJA will not serve for the announcement or initial scholarly presentation of any object in a private or public collection acquired after 30 December 1973, unless the object was part of a previously existing collection or has been legally exported from the country of origin."; however, this did not address artifacts already published in another publication so in 1990 the policy was amended: "... the AJA would not 'stand in the way of legitimate scholarly discussion of antiquities . . . once they have been published elsewhere <in> a proper 'scholarly presentation,' which he defined as something other than an annual report or catalogue. ... 'To do so would be contradictory to the very principle of free and open scholarly inquiry for which the AIA and its Journal stand.'"; however, remarks Norman, "just what constitutes a 'proper scholarly presentation' of an object? ... the original intent of the resolutions and the policy fade begin to fade from consciousness. ... It is clear that neither the resolutions nor the AJA publication policy can, in and of themselves, stop the illicit trade in antiquities or the looting at archaeological sites. ... Nevertheless, [they] do cast a bright spotlight on the problem and take an unequivocal stand against the illegal export and trade of ancient artifacts and the destruction of the archaeological record that such trade causes."; "The intent [of the new 2004 policy] is to keep the checkered past of an object out in the open and part of the continuing scholarly discussion of that piece."; even though there's no direct mention of Iraq in this article, of course events in Mesopotamia were a definite catalyst for this rethinking of what to do regarding looted artifacts
F.T. Schipper, "The Protection and Preservation of Iraq's Archaeological Heritage, Spring 1991–2003," in American Journal of Archaeology, 109, 2 (April 2005): as the pdf file is locked, making digital text copying impossible and therefore excerpting cumbersome, I will quote here first the online abstract to this excellent, well-illustrated article: "This is a summary report of three surveys conducted in Iraq by scholars from the University of Vienna between 1999 and 2001. The author participated in all three surveys. Since 1991, there have been reports of significant damage to Iraq’s cultural property. This damage has generally been considered the result of military action that occurred in the course of the 1991 Gulf War, looting in its aftermath, and neglect during the period of sanctions. But there was very little reliable information available to confirm or refute these allegations, and contacts with Iraqi scholars were limited between 1991 and 1999. The major task of these surveys was to fill the gap in information and to document the state of preservation of some of the most important archaeological sites and museums in the country. This report is divided into five sections: introduction, general remarks on the situation and state of information prior to 1999/2000, general description of the damage sustained by the cultural property of Iraq due to military actions during the second Gulf War and post-war looting, description of damage sustained by the cultural property of Iraq due to neglect and natural deterioration in the period of sanctions, and some concluding comments."; see original photos of damage in Ur, Nimrud, Uruk, Borsippa, Babylon, Aqar Quf, Seleucia and Nineveh (usually more than 1 picture, check the following pages too); damage was also documented at Tell el-Obeid and Tell el-Lahm; interesting discussion of the different restoration and protection projects and methodologies regarding historical architectural remains during that period (esp. mud brick); almost all damage occurred after the 1991 Gulf War was over

This site is edited by Belgian archaeologist Francis Deblauwe, Ph.D., living in Streamwood, Illinois (USA), who is affiliated with Archaeos, Inc., and a research associate of the University of Vienna (Austria).