The Mosul Museum holds a diverse collection of prehistoric and Neo-Assyrian objects, artifacts from Hatra, and an Islamic collection, largely from Mosul. In 2015, the Daesh assault on the museum was publicized, raising great concern within the international community. Now, the museum and its collections are being secured and rehabilitated.
The Mosul Museum hold a diverse collection, which includes artifacts from prehistory; Neo-Assyrian objects, largely from the site of Nimrud; artifacts from the site of Hatra; and an Islamic collection, largely from Mosul. In 2015, the Daesh assault on the museum was publicized and raised great concern within the international community. Now, the museum and its collections are being secured and rehabilitated. The first stage of this project, carried out in 2018-19, implemented immediate measures to stabilize the building, such as shoring up collapsing floors, removing live ordnance from the museum roof, and providing salvage supplies to the museum’s staff. The objects or fragments in the museum’s collection were safely stored, while those kept offsite were inventoried. The results of the initial phase included an assessment of the damages and a global action plan that defined the necessary activities to fully rehabilitate the museum. With the first stage complete, damaged artifacts, housed at the museum or the Nineveh SBAH storage facility, will be restored and museum staff will attend the course, “Post-Conflict Professional Museum Skills”. In addition, the building’s restoration will be planned. This project is being implemented by the Louvre Museum, the Smithsonian Institution, in collaboration with the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH) and the Mosul Museum.