Special guest seminar: Documenting the destruction of archaeological sites by al-Qaeda and ISIS in Iraq

This week, Dr Bill Finlayson welcomed heritage experts from Iraq to the School to present to our students and staff their work on recording damage to cultural sites across the country in recent decades.

Professor Zainalabideen Aljaafar (University of Baghdad) and Dr Aqeel Ghalib Al-Khrayfawee (Lagash Cultural Organisation), joined by Dr Jaafar Jotheri (University of Al-Qadisiyah), gave a paper titled ‘Documenting the destruction of archaeological sites by al-Qaeda and ISIS in Iraq’ outlining their complex work visiting and recording damaged heritage sites. This was followed by a lively Q&A session. 

Their project was funded by the Shia Endowment Office (Imam Hussain Holy Shrine) in Karbala and has resulted in the publication of nine volumes focusing on the archaeology affected which, in turn, form part of a significant fifty volume series on the consequences of the conflict on Iraq's culture and people. 

Professor Zainalabideen Aljaafar and Dr Ghalib Al- Khrayfawee presented a copy of the nine volumes to the EAMENA team. These will now form part of the School’s library collection.  

This work links closely with the activities of the School’s Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa (EAMENA) project in documenting all forms of disturbance and threats to heritage sites across the wider region. The two teams held preliminary talks on how they could share relevant data and support the work of each other in the future.

Pictured from left to right: Salah Ebrahimipour (EAMENA), Dr Bill Finlayson, Dr Aqeel Ghalib Al-Khrayfawee, Professor Zainalabideen Aljaafar, Dr Jaafar Jotheri and Dr Michael Fradley (EAMENA).