a [war kissed] night at the museum

Most legible view of facade without getting picture of military

Administration

Corridor before museum

"Treasures Room"

The first written law/"constitution" in history, Code of Hammurabi, 1790 BC

I suppose there is one pro to war. Ok, a very selfish one, I admit…but as it turns out, museums are not on peoples' must-see lists in the midst of a war. Admit it, you would feel the same way if you were in a building full of artifacts, antiquities, and ruins from the beginning of time, alone! 6,000 years BC, if not more! Chilling with the Code of Hammurabi and Babylonian ruins! Amazing. I remembered how it felt to love again. Ok, kidding--not that dramatic. Maybe just to crush. I spent much of the time envisioning what the museum could and might become one day. The artifacts are worth traveling across the world to see.

The National Museum of Iraq was looted at the inception of the war in 2003, and those who looted it were not even merciful enough to leave the marble on the floor. Locals took some of the antiquities to their homes until the chaos calmed, and returned the pieces back to the museum. Other artifacts are rumored to be floating in black markets in Dubai and France. One space, labeled “Treasures Room,” stands eerily dark and vacant amidst columns that pre-date Christ. On a brighter note, one space is dedicated to artifacts that have been returned. And it is very obvious that a lot of care was put into the renovation of the museum, as well as the maintenance since it reopened half a year ago.

The potential of that Art Deco building with the military bunker in front of it is so incredible...