A Museum of Shadows and Ashes

A tragic observation

When the city occupied by Daesh was liberated, the Mosul Cultural Museum was in tragic state. In addition to the devastation in the Hatra Hall seen in the videos, most of the artworks on display in the Assyrian Hall had been destroyed by jackhammers and lay strewn on the floor. Explosives had been placed between the wall of the Assyrian Hall and the winged human-headed lion, as well as under the throne base in the centre of the hall, reducing the artworks into countless fragments. The explosion also left two gaping holes: in the ground floor, opening into the museum library below, and in the wall of the hall, opening to the outside.

Missing artworks

Many artworks were looted by Daesh, presumably to be sold on the black market to finance their various projects.

The Mosul Cultural Museum deplores the disappearance of many outstanding works of art. These have been reported in the database of Interpol, the International Criminal Police Organization. Interpol keeps records of stolen works of art to combat trafficking in cultural property.