Iraq strengthens the protection and recovery of cultural rel

Iraq has made significant progress in the field of cultural heritage conservation recently. On March 4th, the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Antiquities held a ceremony in Baghdad to hand over 37 precious cultural relics recovered from Japan and Switzerland, including a statue of the sun god from the Assyrian civilization in the 8th century BC. Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hussein emphasized that cultural relics are the core symbols of national history and culture, and the government will continue to cooperate with the international community to make every effort to recover lost cultural relics. Culture Minister Badrani pointed out that the return of these cultural relics marks an important victory for Iraq in the fight against illegal cultural relic smuggling.

Historical trauma and the pursuit of achievements

As the birthplace of the Mesopotamian civilization, Iraq has 12000 archaeological sites. After the US invasion in 2003, about 15000 registered cultural relics in the Iraq Museum were looted, and the destruction by the extremist organization "Islamic State" further exacerbated the cultural heritage crisis. In recent years, the Iranian government has increased its efforts to recover cultural relics, with a total of 24000 recovered in the past four years. Among them, nearly 18000 were recovered from the United States in 2021, accounting for 75% of the total.

Protection measures and international cooperation

The Iraqi government has divided the protection of cultural relics into two parts: on the one hand, installing safety guardrails and equipping security personnel (at least 20 people per site) for national heritage sites. The protection project has been launched in the southern province of Dhi Qar, and is being promoted in collaboration with UNESCO in northern cities such as Mosul; On the other hand, we need to strengthen international judicial cooperation and exert pressure through diplomatic channels to bring cultural materials into the country. The Iraq Museum Restoration Laboratory, with limited equipment, annually restores thousands of cultural relics and collaborates with China on technology, dispatching personnel to receive training in China.

Integration of Culture and Tourism and Economic Outlook

Baghdad has been selected as the "Arab Tourism Capital" for 2025, with plans to promote tourism development through cultural heritage exhibitions. The government plans to transform cultural relics resources into economic power and create an "inexhaustible wealth". Culture Minister Badrani stated that Iraq will rely on its historical heritage to organize a series of cultural and tourism activities to promote employment and investment.

Challenge and Future

Despite the progress made, Iraq still faces challenges such as a large number of sites and insufficient restoration techniques. The sustained support and technical assistance from the international community will be the key to safeguarding cultural heritage and achieving sustainable development.