BAGHDAD — The fall of Baghdad brought large-scale looting of the treasures of ancient Iraq. In the ancient city of Nimrud, 250 kilometers south of Baghdad, now tells Al-Majalla security staff had to be especially vigilant around the ancient tunnels, Ibrahim Atta, in charge of security there, told Al Majalla, a sister publication of Arab News. Thieves were using the tunnels to gain entrance to the city and its museum. They usually came at night and never hesitated to shoot at anyone who got in their way. Ibrahim says his team successfully repulsed all such attempts.
Foreign observers say that in early April more than 3,000 priceless antiques disappeared from the Baghdad Museum. The thefts started even as the American army was advancing on Baghdad. Three months after the scale of the looting first became apparent, most people concluded that the ancient pieces had disappeared forever. Yet, surprisingly, most of them reappeared. Since many of the pieces date from Babylonian or Assyrian times and are consequently known in international art circles, the thieves realized that they would be unable to sell them and that any attempt to do so would draw a great deal of attention to them. Instead, they made deals with the occupying powers and returned most of their spoils.
A short distance north of the city of Mosul, the towers and the castle of Nimrud stand on a plain overlooking the Tigris River. The castle once guarded the city which is now under the shaky control of American soldiers. The soldiers get into occasional gunfights with would-be looters of the ancient artifacts.
Muzahem Mahmoud has been the supervisor of the site since 1985 and he knows every corner of it. Born in Mosul, he studied archaeology and has made various important discoveries in Nimrud. One of them was sparked by a zigzag pattern he noticed in an underground passageway. In 1988, he began careful digging and uncovered a staircase leading to an underground room. It turned out to be the tomb of a woman; her head was supported by a silver salver, and around her neck there was a golden necklace and in her ears golden earrings. The identity of the woman is unknown, but she is believed to have been a royal favorite. The discovery was so important that Muzahem decided to start digging under each royal tomb.
A year laterand some 100 meters from his first discovery, he found another room three meters below the surface. There were five jars and the door to a tomb. When he opened the door, he found many oil lamps and other items and, most importantly, a letter which said: “Queen Ebaa and her daughter Atalia warn you not to touch this gold or else you will be barred from heaven and evil will hound you forever.” Ignoring the warning and the curse, he entered the room and found the bodies of the queen and her daughter in two caskets, surrounded by golden jars and other precious items.
Muzahem later found the seal of a legendary king whose name is mentioned in the Bible. He also discovered the remains of Sargon the Great, who subjugated Babylon, Israel and Egypt eight centuries before the Christian era. Continuing his search in the area, he found another underground storage area with human remains. It appears as if the people were victims of a disaster that happened 2,800 years ago.
Muzahem was delighted with these unexpected discoveries. When he brought some of the treasures to Baghdad, Saddam Hussein – then preparing to invade Kuwait — confiscated them. He put the lid on any news about the discoveries and ordered further digging and searches to stop. Muzahem, deprived of fame, stayed silent until the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Three months after the invasion, he learned that the Americans had found the ancient treasure in storage when they searched the museum. They recovered 650 pieces including 70 kilos of jewelry and gold. These priceless artifacts are now at last on show at the National Museum, which has become a virtual armed fortress. Whatever disappointment Muzahem may have felt, there is no doubt that he was overjoyed to see the pieces he had found reappear in good condition.
When the US officer responsible for ancient artifacts and monuments was asked why the American army had not stopped the looting, he answered that the robberies were in the past and that the important thing was that so many things that were thought lost have now reappeared. Muzahem, who learned from archaeology to take the long view, might tend to agree.
- Arab News Features 4 September 2003
