• Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein had more than 70 palaces. This distinctive ceiling is from one of them, which after his fall was converted to become Basra Museum. AFP
    Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein had more than 70 palaces. This distinctive ceiling is from one of them, which after his fall was converted to become Basra Museum. AFP
  • Visitors explore the Sumerian hall at Basra Museum, a converted palace in the southern Iraqi city. Iraq's Sumerian heritage is widely believed to date back about 6,000 years. AFP
    Visitors explore the Sumerian hall at Basra Museum, a converted palace in the southern Iraqi city. Iraq's Sumerian heritage is widely believed to date back about 6,000 years. AFP
  • The Sumerian hall at Basra Museum. AFP
    The Sumerian hall at Basra Museum. AFP
  • Cuneiform clay tablets on display at Basra Museum. The cuneiform system of writing is believed to have been developed by the Sumerians about 5,000 years ago. AFP
    Cuneiform clay tablets on display at Basra Museum. The cuneiform system of writing is believed to have been developed by the Sumerians about 5,000 years ago. AFP
  • A visitor takes pictures of cuneiform clay tablets at Basra Museum. AFP
    A visitor takes pictures of cuneiform clay tablets at Basra Museum. AFP
  • A cuneiform clay tablet at Basra Museum. Cuneiform, like Egyptian hieroglyphics, offers scholars lessons about life and civilisations from thousands of years ago. AFP
    A cuneiform clay tablet at Basra Museum. Cuneiform, like Egyptian hieroglyphics, offers scholars lessons about life and civilisations from thousands of years ago. AFP

MENA

A peek inside the new Basra Museum - in pictures

Exhibitions in the former palace in Iraq centre around ancient civilisations, as well as the past life of the city itself

The National

June 24, 2021

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