Embassy of the United States Baghdad, Iraq

November 29, 2010

This carving of Adad, the Bull God of Storms in neo-Babylonian mythology, is one of the relief sculptures on the Ishtar Gate that the project hopes to preserve. Currently, it is exposed to the elements and vulnerable to water damage.

The 6th-century BC Ishtar Gate is one of several landmarks at the ancient site of Babylon in Iraq that will receive much-needed conservation attention under a $2 million grant from the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP).  Established by Congress and marking its 10th year, the AFCP has demonstrated America’s respect for the cultural heritage of other countries by supporting more than 645 projects worldwide.  World Monuments Fund (WMF) will carry out the four-year project in partnership with the Iraq State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH), in coordination with the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

The former imperial capital of Kings Hammurabi and Nebuchadnezzar II in southern Mesopotamia from the 18th to the 4th century BC, Babylon was once one of the largest and most influential cities in the world. The Ishtar Gate, Nabu-sha-Khare temple, inner city walls, and other landmarks at this renowned archaeological site are in urgent need of comprehensive conservation to reverse decades of deterioration due to environmental and other factors.  The project includes archaeological site preservation, environmental monitoring, and training in the conservation of earthen architecture.
 
For more than 45 years, WMF has worked with communities around the world to support the preservation of their endangered architectural and cultural heritage.  This AFCP-supported collaboration with the SBAH at Babylon developed from a broader preservation community concern for Iraqi cultural heritage that has included placing archaeological sites in Iraq on the World Monuments Watch List, and a WMF-Getty Conservation Institute joint initiative to create a Geographic Information System (GIS) database for archaeological and heritage sites in Iraq to assist with conservation, planning, and monitoring for sites under SBAH jurisdiction.  The goals of this work are to develop appropriate conservation solutions, to incorporate holistic preservation approaches embracing environmental, social and economic factors, and to expand SBAH capacity to be an effective steward of Iraqi cultural heritage. 

U.S. Embassy Baghdad’s cultural heritage mission focuses on improving the professional development skills of Iraqi archaeologists, conservators and museum specialists, and improving the venues where they work. This project reflects the U.S. Government’s commitment to implementing the U.S.-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement, by assisting Iraq to preserve its cultural heritage and protect its archeological antiquities,