![]() Ninmakh Temple at Babylon is undergoing urgent repairs Photo: Hadani DitmarsĬonstruction, too, has taken a toll over the years. Hussein’s interventions, neglect resulting from 12 years of draconian UN sanctions that bankrupted the country, and subsequent damage by military vehicles in the wake of the 2003 invasion all contributed to Babylon’s demise. To his credit, his budget for upkeep was much higher than the one currently managed by the Iraqi government, but his labour of love and self-aggrandisement-he had stones inscribed with his name as in other ancient sites-also involved much heavy-handed reconstruction in the 1980s and 90s, often using cement bricks and other inappropriate building materials. The projects at the Ishtar Gate and Ninmakh Temple, launched in 20 respectively, will be the beneficiaries of the US embassy funding.īabylon was once the pet project of Saddam Hussein, who envisioned himself as a neo-Nebuchadnezzar, and often referred to a Quranic passage linking the ruler of the Babylonian Empire to the liberation of Palestine. The organisation also assisted with a Unesco World Heritage nomination for Babylon that culminated in its inscription in July 2019 and helped with the conservation and stabilisation of the Lion of Babylon. Collaborating with the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH) until 2015, the WMF performed extensive surveys and documentation and developed conservation plans. The new initiative is part of the WMF’s 15-year commitment to conservation efforts as part of its Future of Babylon project, initiated in 2008. The Babylon festival was revived last year and the 2022 edition is taking place this month and features the famous Iraqi singer Ali Jasim Photo: Hadani Ditmars
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