Iraq's Cultural Heritage: Monuments, History, and Loss

The oilfields of Mesopotamia: Resource conflict, oil extraction and heritage destruction in Iraq

“…The rich history of the region makes ‘essentially all of modern Iraq an archaeological site’ (Mathur, 2008: 126), which led archaeologists and experts to raise concerns about the protection of heritage prior to the invasion. In the days leading up to the invasion, US leaders, too, appeared concerned about this; the State Department, Department of Defense and the Pentagon commissioned extensive archaeological reports and assessments outlining the importance of protecting Iraq's cultural heritage, listing the most vital archaeological sites, predicting threats and proposing strategies for protection and preservation of as much cultural heritage as possible (Bahrani, 2003; Brodie et al, 2006; Kathem, 2019; Mathur, 2008; Rothfield, 2009). This flurry of protective action assured experts that steps would be taken to preserve and protect the heritage of the country.…”

“…The politics of this state were, and continue to be, tied up in the heritage of the people. As Zainab Bahrani writes, ‘the ancient monuments and thousands of archaeological sites’ are so deeply connected to Iraq that, ‘for an Iraqi, a conception of the land without them is simply impossible’ (2003: 14). This is politically significant because ‘people's sense of communal identity is defined in relation to a shared culture and history’, (ibid.).…”

“…This is politically significant because ‘people's sense of communal identity is defined in relation to a shared culture and history’, (ibid.). It is for this reason that archaeology has such a long history of political usage in Iraq, and why it was such an integral part of Iraq's anti-colonial struggles throughout the twentieth century (Bahrani, 2003; Mathur, 2008; Rothfield, 2009). The Iraqi people repeatedly called upon their shared material history to unite disparate ethnic and religious groups, assert their sovereignty and maintain political power and autonomy (Mathur, 2008; Rothfield, 2009).…”

“…In the same vein, the direct destruction and plunder by US and allied forces was an additional attempt to ‘erase the local populations and their histories’, (Bahrani, 2016: 113) while simultaneously appropriating these histories to reinforce the dominance of imperial and colonial regimes. As Bahrani (2003, 2008a, 2008b, 2017) and Kathem (2019) argue, the destruction of heritage, both during and after the invasion, is not only a collateral consequence of occupation, but in fact a crucial component of it. Hence, cultural dispossession was ‘part of a concerted policy of political, social, and historical erasure…preventing potential Iraqi attempts to rebuild itself based on its own heritage and development’, to ensure a new, neo-liberal future as a stable, dependent resource colony for the occupiers (Kathem, 2019: 169–170; Wozniak, 2021).…”

“…As a result, the material heritage of the region has been an integral part of Iraqi society, culture, and politics for centuries. Political usage of heritage stretches back at least as far back as the Abbasid Era, when rulers mimicked ancient Assyrian and Sumerian architecture and city planning to legitimate the newly Islamic civilization (Bahrani, 2003). Oil was not added to this politically volatile formula, however, until British presence in the region in the nineteenth century.…”