Rehabilitation of the Mosul Museum

The Mosul Museum, built in 1952, is the second largest museum in Iraq after the National Museum in Baghdad. The museum’s important collection offered a complete overview of the region's history, from prehistory to the Islamic period. In 2003, the museum was forced to close following the outbreak of war, and part of its collection was evacuated to Baghdad. The monumental sculptures that could not be evacuated were vandalized by Daesh in 2014 and 28,000 rare books and manuscripts were burned. The destruction of masterpieces—including the colossal lion of Nimrud, two monumental figures of lamassu (Assyrian guardians adorning the gates of the ancient palace), and the throne base of King Ashurnasirpal II—was staged in a highly publicized video. Since 2018, the museum has gradually been brought back to life thanks to the unwavering commitment of its staff and a unique consortium of Iraqi and international partners: the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH), the Mosul Museum, the Musée du Louvre, the Smithsonian Institution, the World Monuments Fund, and ALIPH. In the first stage of work, the roof of the building that had been mined with explosive devices was stabilized and secured. The Musée du Louvre also began training staff at the Mosul Museum on conservation practices for damaged artifacts. Restoring the colossal artifacts represents a unique challenge. Daesh used powerful explosives and hammers to reduce them to rubble, and museum workers had to sort, clean, and document the fragments before Iraqi and French professionals could begin their meticulous restoration work. At the same time, World Monuments Fund, which joined the consortium in 2020, is carrying out the museum's architectural renovation. At the beginning of the project, the Smithsonian Institution focused on stabilization work, and now they are helping to strengthen the capacity of the museum team. In May 2023, during the launch of the final rehabilitation phase for this project, a major press conference at the very heart of the museum celebrated the inauguration of the first exhibition: The Mosul Cultural Museum: From Destruction to Rehabilitation. This is ALIPH’s biggest and most ambitious project since the Foundation was created. Indeed, ALIPH’s involvement has been much more than a funder. Since 2018, ALIPH has been supporting all partners at every stage, uniting them under the common vision of reopening the museum, which is planned for 2026.