Ambassador Crocker and General Petraeus Visit the Iraq National Museum

September 8, 2008

Public Affairs Counselor Ereli, General Petraeus, H.E. Qahtan Al-Jibori, Dr. Amira and Ambassador Crocker entering the Assyrian Hall.

By Diane Siebrandt
Special Correspondent

The Iraq National Museum houses one of the finest collections of Mesopotamian artifacts in the world.  The museum has a long history of being closed during times of war and social unrest, with its doors being permanently sealed in 2006, which left the collections in various states of storage.  Staff members returned to the museum and resumed administrative and conservation work in August 2007 and have been making progress since then.  As the situation in Iraq improves, the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH) continues to build strong international partnerships, including U.S. Embassy Baghdad and MNF-I.  The partnerships are developing core programming and projects that will eventually lead to the reopening of the museum and allow the populace to eventually visit one of Iraq’s most important national treasures.   Ambassador Ryan Crocker and General David Petraeus visited the Iraq National Museum on September 8, 2008 to meet with key members the SBAH and gain an on-hands understanding of the current condition of the museum and the upcoming improvements.