Department of the Middle East

You can search for information and images about objects from the Middle East collection on Collection online which has information about more than four million objects in the British Museum collection.

• You can make an appointment to see objects from the Middle East collection in our study room. Please complete our study room application form and email it to: [email protected]
• The study rooms may close at short notice due to staff illness or isolation requirements. We apologise in advance should this be necessary.
• The Department of the Middle East Study Room is located in the Museum's historic Arched Room, accessible through the shop at the north end of the Egyptian sculpture gallery (Room 4), from the foot of the West Stairs – view the Museum map.
• It's open from 10.30–13.00 and 14.00–16.00 on Tuesdays to Fridays.
• It's closed in December every year.
• Visit our study rooms page for general information.

Using the library:

• Records of items held by the Department of Middle East library may be accessed using the British Museum library catalogue. 
• Library items can be viewed by appointment only. 
• Please contact the library service at [email protected] to make an appointment to consult library materials, allowing 10 working days for a reply. 

Ground Floor:

• Room 6 – Assyrian sculpture and Balawat Gates
• Rooms 7–8 – Assyria: Nimrud
• Room 9  – Assyria: Nineveh
• Room 10 – Assyria: Lion hunts, Siege of Lachish and Khorsabad

Upper Floor: 

• Rooms 42–43 – The Islamic World (The Albukhary Foundation Gallery)
• Room 52 – Ancient Iran (The Rahim Irvani Gallery)
• Room 53 – Ancient South Arabia
• Room 54 – Anatolia and Urartu 7000–300 BC
• Room 55 – Mesopotamia 1500–539 BC
• Room 56 – Mesopotamia 6000–1500 BC
• Rooms 57–59 – Ancient Levant

• You can search for images on Collection online which has information about more than four million objects in the British Museum collection. Most of these images are available free of charge for non-commercial purposes. 
• High-resolution digital images of most of the objects in the collection are available for purchase from BM Images.
• To commission new photography or to use images for commercial purposes, please contact [email protected]. 

The Department of the Middle East provides an object identification service. Through this, we offer opinions on objects held by members of the public.

If you have any questions about our identification service, please email the department at [email protected] in advance of your visit so a member of staff can advise. 

Please note:

• We do not provide valuations or certificates of authentication – if you require this advice, please consult a dealer or auctioneer.
• Neither the Trustees of the British Museum nor members of staff can accept liability for opinions given on objects submitted for examinations, or for information provided.
• The British Museum supports international efforts aimed at preventing damage to archaeological sites and the illicit trade in cultural objects.
• Consequently, we do not give opinions on objects made and/or found outside the United Kingdom where the provenance is uncertain or contrary to national or international law.

Read more about the object identification service.

• The object identification service is available on Wednesday, between 14.00–16.00, by appointment only. Please email [email protected] to arrange an appointment. 
• The service is free, but no more than 10 objects can be shown at one time.

• If requests are made electronically, digital images should be sent to [email protected].
• All images should be clear enough that any lettering and detail is legible, but individual emails should not exceed 2MB.
• Please indicate when and how the objects came into your possession.