Race in Iraq and Syria to record and shield art falling to ISIS
In those areas of Iraq and Syria controlled by the Islamic State, residents are furtively recording on their cellphones damage done to antiquities by the extremist group. In northern Syria, museum curators have covered precious mosaics with sealant and sandbags. And at Baghdad’s recently reopened National Museum of Iraq, new iron bars protect galleries of ancient […]Anne Barnard writes for the New York Times:
In those areas of Iraq and Syria controlled by the Islamic State, residents are furtively recording on their cellphones damage done to antiquities by the extremist group. In northern Syria, museum curators have covered precious mosaics with sealant and sandbags. And at Baghdad’s recently reopened National Museum of Iraq, new iron bars protect galleries of ancient artifacts from the worst-case scenario.
These are just a few of the continuing efforts to guard the treasures of Iraq and Syria, two countries rich with traces of the world’s earliest civilizations. Yet only so much can be done under fire, and time is running out as Islamic State militants speed ahead with the systematic looting and destruction of antiquities.
