A project funded by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation

Less than two decades after its opening in 1952, the Mosul Cultural Museum needed to expand. The decision was made to construct a new building to better display the collections and to accommodate more visitors. The construction of the new museum began in 1970 with the financial support of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. A new building of 2,600 square metres was built in the garden of the Royal Pavilion, doubling the area of the old museum.

A building designed by the architect Mohamed Makiya

The building was designed by Mohamed Makiya, an internationally renowned Iraqi architect. The new building met the technical and functional requirements of a modern museum. Mohamed Makiya opted for a very modern style of architecture whose aesthetics are based on pure geometric volumes. However, he also added decorative elements that referred to the ancient history of Iraq. For example, the building's entrance façade features elegant arches and colonnades reminiscent of the ancient architecture. After four years of work, the museum officially opened in July 1974.

A functional and elegant building

The museum was designed to have two levels: in the basement were spaces for a library, laboratories, and offices for the museum staff. The large space on the ground floor was dedicated to collections presented in chronological order. It had three distinct spaces: the Assyrian Hall, the Hatra Hall and the Islamic Hall. From the entrance area, a mezzanine was set up to house the prehistoric objects.

Associated media

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