HISTORIANS OF ISLAMIC ART
LETTER OF CONCERN
[The following is the letter of protest and concern sent on behalf of HIA by its Board of Directors and Committee for the Artistic and Cultural Heritage of Iraq of the Historians of Islamic Art to President George W. Bush; Prime Minister Tony Blair, and to UNESCO, USAID, and major news organizations in the U.S. and UK.]
As members of Historians of Islamic Art, an international association of scholars professionally engaged with the art, architecture and history of the Islamic world, we write to express our outrage and profound concern about the destruction of Iraq's cultural patrimony, art and institutions following the occupation of the country by coalition forces.
Much attention has been focused on the extraordinary loss of Sumerian, Akkadian and Assyrian art and antiquities. As scholars who study and research the art and culture of Islamic societies, we would also like to draw attention to the loss and reported destruction of numerous collections of unique documents relating to the cultural history of Iraq from the eighth to the twentieth century. In addition to those artifacts lost during the sack of the museums in Baghdad, Basra and Mosul, the burning of the National Library and Archives, the Ministry of Religious Endowments, and the looting of major university libraries have led to the destruction and dispersal of unique (and often poorly documented) works of art and manuscript collections. The scale and nature of the loss may never be known for certain. While these losses are now thought to be smaller than originally estimated, the destroyed collections included early Qurans, historical works, Ottoman archival documents, and unique collections of early printed works and popular literature. Such museum collections and libraries constituted repositories of a knowledge that was both the patrimony of the Iraqi people, and the heritage of all humankind.
The eradication of Iraq's cultural infrastructure in a matter of days following the fall of the Baathist regime is a grave and tragic calamity. The events that led to the catastrophe in Iraq constitute a gross dereliction of the duties of an occupying power under the Hague Convention. Moreover, this destruction was not only preventable, it was also predicted. Meetings between American archaeologists and the State Department made it clear that Iraq's cultural patrimony would require protection in the aftermath of a military victory. The effective protection afforded the Ministries of Oil and of the Interior show what might have been achieved had the administration shown the will to act upon such advice.
In light of the universal opprobrium that these events have attracted, the conflicting reports and counter-reports surrounding them, and the recent suggestion of international criminal involvement, we call on the House and Senate in the US, and the British Parliament in the UK, to launch a comprehensive investigation into the events of April 2003. In addition to apportioning blame where it is due, such an investigation should also liaise with our Iraqi colleagues with the aim of making practical suggestions as to how to ameliorate this disastrous situation. We further request that both governments ensure the availability of financial assistance and professional expertise to Iraqi cultural institutions upon request, as they begin the process of reconstructing what remains of their patrimony.
In the interim, we call on the coalition forces to extend full protection to the shattered remnants of Iraq's cultural institutions, and to ensure that none of the looted material (including books and manuscripts stolen from Iraqi archives and libraries) leaves the country. We call on the American and British administrations to publicly affirm that any institution or individual in Europe or the Unites States buying material shown to have been looted from Iraqi cultural institutions will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, and the material returned to Iraqi custody.
While these measures cannot undo completely the damage already done to an ancient cultural heritage, they do amount to a belated assumption of the responsibilities that the US and UK administrations have repeatedly shirked, with such catastrophic consequences for the national patrimony of Iraq. These administrations must demonstrate their commitment to Iraq's restoration by making the preservation of Iraqi art and culture a top priority. The meeting that took place this past week at the British Museum among European, American and Iraqi museum professionals was a positive step toward establishing cooperation and liaisons. We call upon the United States and Great Britain to support these important efforts, and to provide funds and personnel to our Iraqi museum and university colleagues to assist them in recovering and rebuilding their lives and their culture. It is simply not possible to think of the rebuilding of the country of Iraq without the restoration of its artistic and cultural heritage.
Sincerely,
Historians of Islamic Art by its Board and Committee for the Art and Culture of Iraq
Eva R. Hoffman, President, HIA; Richard Turnbull, Secretary-Treasurer, HIA; Oya Pancaroglu, Editor, HIA; Stefano Carboni, President Elect, HIA; Aimee Froom, Finbarr Barry Flood, Thomas Leisten, Cynthia Robinson, David J Roxburgh, Yasser Tabbaa