BAGHDAD -- Since the spring of 2003, when front pages all over the world were filled with alarming images of the looting of the Iraq National Museum, in Baghdad, relatively little has been heard about the aftermath of that event, although a limited number of items have, in fact, been recovered, leaving some 10,000 to 14,000 objects missing. Even less has been heard about the fate of the more than 10,000 historic and archaeological sites in Iraq that remain vulnerable to the same threats of war, looting and neglect.

Although conflict and political uncertainty still characterize daily life in Iraq, important measures are being taken within our country to rebuild many of the institutions that anchor a civil society--including those concerned with education, commerce and cultural heritage. We unquestionably face formidable challenges on a daily basis, but some significant advances have been made in stemming further loss of our cultural heritage. Equally true, and also frustrating, is the fact that much that needs to be done cannot be until stability is restored.

In the wake of the looting of the museum, a number of countries (some through Unesco) have helped to refurbish the building, install new security systems and conservation laboratories, and train lab technicians and conservators.

The challenges facing archaeological and other historic sites are even more complex, given their remote and dispersed locations. Most of these sites are not safe to visit and have no guardians. Looting, now often carried out by bands of armed professionals, has caused irreparable damage to many archaeological sites and has scattered objects not seen in centuries among smugglers and collectors around the world. The areas most at risk include the Dhi Qar, Qadisyah and al-Muthanna provinces, which are south of Baghdad, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and are part of the "fertile crescent." This region, which lay at the heart of ancient Sumerian and Babylonian civilizations, has suffered greatly at the hands of looters. In Nippur, for example, which was one of the most important sites in ancient Mesopotamia, many cuneiform tablets--including a copy of the Gilgamesh epic--are missing.

In the province of Dhi Qar, however, a police force of 204 officers has begun patrols, and looting in the region has sharply decreased. Unfortunately, the looters are moving on to other provinces that are not as heavily patrolled but are just as significant. Another 1,500 patrol officers are currenttly being deployed in those areas. We continue to work to expand the police force and are even encouraging graduates of archaeology programs to join the effort.

In addition, at sites where it is possible to have guards, we plan to provide them with communication equipment when the funds can be raised, so that they can, at the least, alert the police when they see looters coming.

The conflict itself, and the military installations that go along with it, are also threatening cultural-heritage sites. In Najaf and Mosul, particularly, historic buildings have been damaged in combat, as has the Mosul Museum, home to important objects from such nearby sites as the World Heritage Site of Hatra. (This museum was also subjected to looting. Among the objects stolen from it are 30 bronze panels from the ninth-century B.C. Assyrian city of Balawat.) An ammunition depot that was constructed under Saddam Hussein's regime in the region of Hatra is now subject to controlled explosions that are damaging important buildings of the Hellenistic, Roman and Arab civilizations. Negotiations are under way to remove this threat.

Ancient Babylon, perhaps the best known site in the country, not least because of Saddam Hussein's infamous reconstruction of some of its walls--considered excessive by most scholars and containing inscriptions on bricks with his name and honorifics--has recently been returned to the Iraq State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH) after having served as a base of operations for the Polish forces in the coalition. Soon we will be able to assess what damage to the site there may be and establish a plan for its protection.

One of the most important developments to have taken place since the looting of the museums has been the establishment in spring 2003 of two significant relationships between the SBAH and international institutions, in order to develop both short- and long-term strategies for the preservation and stewardship of Iraq's cultural-heritage sites. Long-term planning efforts for the protection of historic sites are being undertaken with private-sector support from the Getty Conservation Institute in Los Angeles and the World Monuments Fund in New York, through the GCI-WMF Iraq Cultural Heritage Initiative. This partnership was established with seed funding from the J.M. Kaplan Fund and with further support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and Unesco. In addition to supplying a diversity of hands-on support, described below, the initiative attempts to stem the tide of looting by raising public awareness of it.

The Iraq Cultural Heritage Initiative provides equipment, technology and methodologies for assessing and inventorying cultural sites. It includes the creation of a National Cultural Heritage Information System and Database that will allow us to the gate to collect and organize information about the condition of, and threats to, sites and monuments in Iraq. This will be essential for planning any future activity at these sites, whether for conservation, protection or research.

This system was modeled after one now being used in Jordan, and it will help the SBAH to better assess the risks that Iraqi sites face, set priorities for intervention, plan for preventive conservation strategies, coordinate reconstruction efforts with other agencies, avoid further damage to the sites and organize international support for on-site restoration and preservation projects. Sixteen of our employees have just completed a month-long training program in the use of this database organized by the GCI and WMF. It included training in the use of the software and the technical equipment provided by Unesco, as well as in the methodology of site documentation and assessment.

The initiative has completed an on-the-ground project in Nineveh: When Sennacherib's palace was looted, and the roof stolen, protective roofing was reinstalled thanks to a grant from the initiative.

Through Unesco, other donors and governments have supported several programs of site protection, including training for the new site-patrol police force and in the use of photogrammetry (scientific documentation with systematic photography).

As we enter 2005, which will be another year of tremendous change in Iraq, we will continue our work in the museums and our efforts to strengthen our ability to protect historic sites, including our cooperation with international institutions and colleagues. While on-site work cannot take place until security improves, the assessment of the situation at Babylon is, nonetheless, a priority.

Although the world sees an Iraq in constant conflict, the people of this country remain committed to preserving its--and humanity's--heritage for future generations, a heritage that remains in grave danger.

BY AZIZ HAMEED
Opinion Journal
The Wall Street Journal Editorial Page

Dr. Hameed is chairman of the Iraq State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, a scientific board appointed by the minister of culture.