by C/O Diongenes
Saturday, Apr. 12, 2003 at 9:01 AM
Iraq, among the earliest cradles of civilisation and home to the remains of such ancient Mesopotamian cities as Babylon, Ur and Nineveh, has one of the richest archaeological heritages in the world.
Baghdad archeological museum looted
A Baghdad mob looted Iraq's largest archeological museum amid a breakdown in civil authority following the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime, an AFP reporter said.
A dozen looters helped themselves in ground floor rooms at the National Museum of Iraq, where pottery artefacts and statues were seen broken or overturned, while administrative offices were wrecked.
Two men were seen hauling an ancient portal out of the building, and empty wooden crates were scattered over the floor.
Upstairs rooms seemed to have been spared for the time being.
Iraq, among the earliest cradles of civilisation and home to the remains of such ancient Mesopotamian cities as Babylon, Ur and Nineveh, has one of the richest archaeological heritages in the world.
The museum housed a major collection of antiquities, including a 4,000-year-old silver harp from Ur.
International cultural organisations had urged that the archeological heritage of Iraq, one of the cradles of civilisation, be spared ahead of the US-led war launched on March 20.