Italy Puts Iraqi Treasures Online

June 09, 2009

The treasures of Baghdad's National Museum, which basically represent 6,000 years of Mesopotamian history, are now just a click away.

Looted after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, Baghdad's museum partially reopened in February after six years.
Italy contributed €1 million ($1.4 million) and provided expert staff to help restore the museum. The country will also help Iraq create a new police unit to fight trafficking of stolen works.

Viewable in Arabic, English, and Italian, the virtual museum makes its most important artifacts accessible to everyone. Visitors can "walk" through eight virtual halls and see works from the prehistoric to the Islamic periods, while video clips reconstruct the history of Iraq’s main cities.

Many are the treasures on display. In the Sumerian hall, look for the Warka Mask, a marble head of a woman from Uruk dated to 3,400-3,100 BC.

In the Assirian hall, don't miss the colossal limestone statues of human-headed, winged bulls called lamassu. Dating to the eight and ninth centuries BC, they guarded the ancient cities of Nimrud on the River Tigris and Dur Sharrukin, modern-day Khorsabad.

Visitors can also rotate the artworks to get a full, 360 degree view.

To enter the Virtual Museum of Iraq, just click here