Helping to preserve Iraqi cultural heritage

The British Museum has been, and still is, at the forefront in informing the public about the current situation and reminding its visitors of the importance of Iraq’s archaeological and historical legacy.

There is a pressing need for action to protect and preserve Iraqi cultural heritage, particularly conservation work on sites, monuments and material in museums and libraries. Since 2003 the Museum has been actively engaged in providing our Iraqi colleagues, at their request, with as much conservation, archaeological and curatorial assistance as it can reasonably provide:

2003 invasion and aftermath
Babylon meeting and report 2004-5
Ur visit and report 2007
Basra Museum project 2008

In early June 2008, the British Museum and the British Army (Multinational Division), with the full support of the State Board for Antiquities and Heritage in Iraq, undertook a unique joint project to assess damage at a number of archaeological sites in southern Iraq.
Full visit report and site photographs

Latest update

In February 2009 a further inspection of Babylon was carried out on behalf of UNESCO.
Download the full report (602kb)