A future for nimrud: where are we today?
This was a joint webinar between TARII and Iraq’s State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH), and funded by the JM Kaplan Fund as part of a future convening for Nimrud
16 September 2024, 11am (Eastern) / 6pm (Iraq) via Zoom
The ancient city of Nimrud, also known as Kalhu, was once the lavish capital city of a Neo-Assyrian empire that stretched from the Gulf to the Mediterranean around 800 BCE. Located just 20 kilometers south of Mosul, human habitation at Nimrud dates to the late fourth millennium BCE, and at its height in the ninth century BCE its ancient city walls encircled over 900 acres that included temples, palaces, elaborate monumental buildings, a ziggurat, and some of the most famous archaeological artifacts from Iraq. The first excavations at Nimrud began nearly 180 years ago, leading to a period of extensive exploitation. As a result, many artifacts, particularly the palace reliefs, were dispersed to over 60 museums and collections worldwide. Still, some of the architectural remains, the famous carved reliefs, and sculptures of giant winged lions and bulls were all still standing at the site prior to 2015. The Republic of Iraq listed Nimrud on its tentative list for World Heritage inscription in 2000.
Nimrud has suffered greatly from intentional destruction by Daesh. First publicized in a 2015 Daesh propaganda video, this damage involved sledgehammers, jackhammers, and earthmoving equipment to deface and break up the ancient carved stone reliefs and sculptures. The resulting fragments of alabaster (locally known as Mosul marble) were piled together in the forecourt of the Northwest Palace. Later in the spring of 2015, Daesh detonated barrels of explosives in the Northwest Palace destroying many of its standing remains. In June 2016, Daesh detonated the so-called Fish Gate, the reconstructed nearby Temple of Nabu, and the dig house. In September 2016, Daesh used earthmoving equipment to level the Nimrud Ziggurat and destroyed a section of the Ishtar temple. A second leveling event took place in October 2016.
Since then, several teams have undertaken the crucial but daunting task to document and initiate recovery operations at Nimrud. It is now critical that a holistic plan is developed for the site to ensure its future. In collaboration with Iraq’s State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH), TARII is convening a private meeting in Iraq for the development of this site plan. To prepare for this meeting, join SBAH and TARII for a virtual discussion on the current condition of the site, including presentations from the Nimrud Rescue training team, archaeologists, and Iraqi officials and scholars. Our goals are also to address the need to raise international awareness of Nimrud’s current state, highlight the efforts of SBAH, and mobilize support for its restoration and rehabilitation to be accessible again for visitors.
Program: Recordings and speaker biographies
Scroll through the program below to learn about the speakers and watch recordings of their presentation. Some presentations were re-recorded due to a technical issue(s).
Introduction: Nimrud’s Legacy: A Global Responsibility Lanah Haddad, TARII
Lanah Haddad is an archaeologist specializing in the art and archaeology of ancient Mesopotamia. She studied in Germany and was a PhD Candidate at the interdisciplinary graduate program “Value and Equivalent” at the University of Frankfurt. She has participated in several international archaeological excavation and heritage preservation projects in the MENA region. Most recent accomplished project was the restoration of the Mosul Gate in Amedi with Columbia University and KAO. Her work focuses on Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. She has published several articles and contributed in two exhibitions.
Her commitment to community outreach and involvement reflects her belief that Iraq's heritage plays a crucial role in peacebuilding efforts. Lanah leads TARII in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq as the Regional Director, through which she has supervised TARII’s role and activities as part of the Nimrud Rescue Project for the Smithsonian Institution (2022-2024).
Presentation in English; you may choose to use the translated captions feature on YouTube.
SBAH Statement Ahmed Abduljabbar Khammas Al-Luhaibi, SBAH
Mr. Ahmed Abduljabbar is an archaeologist from Diyala Governorate with a Master's degree in archaeology from the University of Baghdad. He has worked in the fields of archaeology (excavation, maintenance, archaeological survey) for more than 12 years. Currently, he works as Director of the Archaeological Investigations Department at SBAH, which is responsible for managing archaeological sites in all Iraqi governorates. He has published locally and internationally (books and research), as well as being awarded international grants to rescue archaeological sites in areas of armed conflict.
Presentation in Arabic; you may choose to use the translated captions feature on YouTube.
Statement of the Nineveh Governorate Wisam Salm Saleem, Nineveh Governorate
Mr. Wisam Salm Saleem is a member of the Nineveh Provincial Council (from the Yazidi community), and is the Head of the Council’s Culture Committee. He was a member of the Bashiqa District Council in 2014, where he was also the Head of the Energy Committee and a member of the Social Affairs committee. Then after returning from displacement, he was the Head of the Energy Committee again and the Head of the Construction and Municipalities Committee from 2017 to 2019. He is a member of the Yazidi Social Council and Head of the Coordination Committee with NGOs for reconstruction. Also, he is a member of the Yazidi Solidarity Association, and member of the Nabu Charitable Foundation.
Presentation in Arabic and given by Mohammad Al-Mimar on behalf of Wisam Salm Saleem. You may choose to use the translated captions feature on YouTube.
Establishing the Nimrud Rescue Team, a Collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and the SBAH: 2017-2024
Brian Michael Lione and Kent Severson, Smithsonian Institution
Brian Michael Lione is the International Cultural Heritage Protection Program Manager at the Smithsonian’s Museum Conservation Institute (MCI). Lione is the focal point for the Smithsonian’s ad hoc ‘Iraq Team,’ which includes partners from the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue initiative (SCRI) and Office of Global Affairs. Together, the Team implements several projects in Iraq, including capacity-building courses at the Iraqi Institute for the Conservation of Antiquities and Heritage (IICAH) in Erbil, and on site, post-ISIS recovery efforts at the Mosul Cultural Museum and at the ancient archaeological city of Nimrud. In addition to his work in Iraq, Brian serves on the Smithsonian’s Rural Initiative Working Group, supports MCI training of US law enforcement in support of anti-trafficking activities, and collaborates with SCRI on response and recovery training for domestic and international heritage specialists. Prior to joining MCI in 2017, he worked in various capacities in support of the Iraqi heritage sector, including serving as the founding Director of the IICAH from 2009-2011.
Kent Severson is currently a conservator in private practice in Sacramento, California. He was formerly the conservator at Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art Culture and Design in Honolulu, Hawaii (2012 - 2020). Severson is a graduate of the New York University Institute of Fine Arts Conservation Center training program (1985). From 1998 through 2020 Severson was in private practice in Boston, Massachusetts, working primarily for museums and other institutions. He has participated in archaeological projects in Turkey, Greece, Italy and Egypt for more than 30 years, including two decades as the Senior Field conservator for the N.Y.U. Excavations at Aphrodisias, Turkey. Since 2010, he has been Visiting Instructor for the Iraqi Institute for the Conservation of Antiquities and Heritage in Erbil, Iraq, where he continues to participate as a team member of Nimrud Rescue, and other projects.
Presentation in English; you may choose to use the translated captions feature on YouTube.
Nimrud Condition Report Ruwaid Muwaffaq Mohammad, SBAH Nineveh
Ruwaid Muwaffaq Mohammad is the Director of the SBAH office in the Nineveh Governorate and the Head of fieldwork at the Nimrud Rescue Project, Seasons 3-4 (2023-2024). He holds a bachelor's degree in archaeology from the University of Mosul, as well as a specialized certificate using GIS from the University of Bologna, Italy, in addition to many specialized courses in the field of conservation and protection of world heritage. He participated in many projects in the city of Mosul, including the reconstruction of the Nabi Younis Mosque, the project to protect the city of Hatra, the reconstruction of the archaeological wall of the city of Nineveh, and the committee to assess the damage after the events of Daesh, 2022-2023.
Video pending.
The Nimrud Rescue Team Seasons Mohammad Al-Mimar, TARII
Mohammed Kasim is a Preventive Conservator and earned a master’s degree in Conservation and Restoration from the University of Applied Sciences in Berlin, Germany, as well as a bachelor’s degree in History from Baghdad University. He has also completed training in world heritage site management, conservation of museum collections made of organic materials, conservation and management of tangible and intangible heritage, and digital preservation by using modern technology in the preservation and protection of cultural heritage. Mohammad has more than 20 years of experience at the Iraqi Archaeological Society in Iraq’s State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, and at the Iraq Museum. Mohammad joined TARII in 2024 leading the Institute in federal Iraq as the Iraq Director while also developing a plan for a new project that involves documenting and digitally archiving Iraqi intangible heritage. He is a committee member of the Nimrud Rescue Project for seasons 3-4 and was previously the SBAH Baghdad contact for the 2023 season.
Presentation in Arabic; you may choose to use the translated captions feature on YouTube.
Cultural Heritage Preservation at Nimrud 2022–2024: The University of Pennsylvania Iraq Heritage Stabilization Program
Michael Danti, University of Pennsylvannia
Dr. Michael Danti is a Near Eastern archaeologist and cultural heritage expert with over 35 years of experience directing archaeological programs and preservation initiatives in Syria, Iraq, Iran, and the United States. Since 2018, he has been the Director of the Iraq Heritage Stabilization Program (IHSP) at the University of Pennsylvania. IHSP preserves and protects cultural heritage sites in northern Iraq and Syria damaged by terrorist activity and recent warfare. In the past, Danti has directed US DOS programs in the Middle East focused on higher education and cultural heritage protection and preservation.
As a field archaeologist, Danti directs the Penn Nimrud and Nineveh Projects, which include archaeological excavations, surveys, and cultural heritage management components. He has written numerous official reports and scholarly articles on the cultural heritage crises in the Middle East. He has been a regular public speaker and presenter on television and radio to raise awareness of the plight of our global cultural heritage. Danti has testified before the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade on cultural property crimes in the conflict zones of Syria and Iraq. He was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London in 2011 and serves as a Consulting Scholar at the Penn Museum.
Presentation in English; you may choose to use the translated captions feature on YouTube.
Comments from UNESCO Junaid Sorosh-Wali, UNESCO Iraq
Comments given in English; you may choose to use the translated captions feature on YouTube.
Prospects of an International Alliance for Nimrud's Recovery Will Raynolds, JM Kaplan Fund
Will Raynolds directs the Heritage Conservation Program at the J.M. Kaplan Fund in New York. Kaplan is a family foundation with more than 75 years of experience supporting the preservation of the built environment, including recent grants in Iraq, Yemen, Syria, Sudan, Afghanistan and Ukraine to teams working to protect heritage sites and collections damaged by armed conflict.
Presentation in English; you may choose to use the translated captions feature on YouTube.
Concluding Comments
Given by Lanah Haddad and Amanda Long of TARII. Comments given in English; you may choose to use the translated captions feature on YouTube.
