Culture
Iraq reopens National Museum after thousands of smuggled artifacts return
The Iraqi National Museum in Baghdad regains its cultural and tourist role and reopens with new exhibition halls displaying several artifacts that have not been exhibited before.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi inaugurated March 6 the National Museum, which has been rehabilitated and its halls restored, prompting many local and foreign visitors to visit.
The museum located in the heart of Baghdad was established in 1926 in al-Qashla area and moved to al-Alawi in 1966.
It was closed in 2019 for reconstruction work and remained closed during the coronavirus pandemic.
Ahmed al-Alyawi, spokesman of the Iraqi Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities, told Al-Monitor, “The Iraqi National Museum ranks fifth in the world in terms of significant exhibits and valuable historical artifacts, as well as manuscripts dating back thousands of years.”
