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Inside the Middle East
April 3, 2009
Posted: 1548 GMT

From Mohammed Tawfeeq
CNN Producer

BAGHDAD – It took me a week to get the permission letter for CNN to cover the National Museum story.

Fred our correspondent, Ben the cameraman and I went directly to the halls where the artifacts are on display. There we met a class from a local girls' school and many of the 12 to 15 year old pupils were taking a tour of the museum for the first time.

Fred Pleitgen Reports. Click here to watch.
Fred Pleitgen Reports. Click here to watch.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen filed this story.

Mohammed Tawfeeq/CNN. Iraqi schoolgirls discover their National Museum.
Mohammed Tawfeeq/CNN. Iraqi schoolgirls discover their National Museum.

The museum used to display some of the world's most important ancient artifacts in 20 halls, but many of the priceless pieces were looted in April 2003 after the coalition invaded Baghdad and now only eight halls are open to the public. According to Museum officials some 15,000 irreplaceable artifacts were stolen – only about 6,000 have been recovered.

Mohammed Tawfeeq/CNN. CNN Correspondent Fred Pleitgen and Cameraman Ben Adams during the shoot
Mohammed Tawfeeq/CNN. CNN Correspondent Fred Pleitgen and Cameraman Ben Adams during the shoot

We spent almost three hours in the museum to get beauty shots of the artifacts and other elements that we needed for the story. Every time I entered a hall it was like a journey back in time. I remember how busy Iraq’s National Museum was in 1989 when I first visited it with my family. This Museum was considered to somehow embody Iraq’s national identity and we were all very proud of our history spanning many ages from the Ashurian kings to the Islamic era.

Mohammed Tawfeeq/CNN
Mohammed Tawfeeq/CNN

All that came back to me as we were filming. I hadn’t been to the museum in years because it was closed after the looting. But now it seemed like only yesterday I was walking the halls with amazement gripping my father’s hand. I could see the same amazement and awe on the faces of the young ladies from the school, now gazing at the historical treasures for the first time in their lives.

Mohammed Tawfeeq/CNN.
Mohammed Tawfeeq/CNN.

The school girls kept asking the Museum’s guide questions about the artifacts and I could see that they wanted to know more and more. One of the girls said to me “I wish I could have visited the Iraqi National museum years ago , I do not like reading about history, but now, after seeing all of these amazing artifacts and the great stories behind them I will definitely read more about the ancient history of Iraq.”

Mohammed Tawfeeq/CNN
Mohammed Tawfeeq/CNN

Our reporter Frederik Pleitgen interviewed one of the school girls and asked her about her first experience in the museum. I could tell how proud she was of the museum, but also of this country that brought the world such amazing civilizations, a fact often forgotten with daily reports of violence and killings.

We spent more than three hours in the museum, but to me it felt like time was just flying by. And our cameraman Ben seemed to feel the same way, as the staff asked us to leave because they needed to close the building, he argued for more time, because he wanted to get as many shots of the artifacts as possible. Ben probably could have gone on filming for days.

When I left the museum I felt happy to see the new generation able to visit the museum once again. Maybe it will help Iraqis understand that we are not Sunni or Shia, Christian or Kurd, but that we are Iraqis and have done great things for mankind.

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Filed under: CNN Coverage •Iraq •Video


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GLeigh   April 4th, 2009 10:12 pm ET

I don't do Facebook or sites like it, watch videos, or click links. This might be my exception. Such ancient history. Amazing. Thanks for the pictures. People in the country should take great joy is this history, but it is one of the shames of the world that some would loot and steal them so the rest of us don't have the knowledge and enjoyment of this history. That is chilling, but people never cease to surprise me, good and bad. I saw a documentary about the theft of the ancient artifacts once a year or more ago and got angry. People have to live with themselves. Good luck on that one.

justin   April 5th, 2009 3:49 pm ET

tell me what you think about this idea insted of giving $$ to GM why dont they give that $ to working famillys that have paid taxes for at lease 10 years. And make a law that they can only and I mean only spend it on new cars that are great for the world. So if you think about it the car company gets the $ back in there pocket and saves jobs not just save jobs but make jobs all over. It would make jobs even in auto part stores. And then allso the familly that gets the $ for the new car should even give one of there old cars back for scrap that would once again make more jobs but the best thing of all it helps out on polution. and Global Warming. and ya I no I cant spell.

GLeigh   April 6th, 2009 3:52 am ET

It seems every few years, 20, 50, whatever, things change. Southern states have some car manufacturers who seem okay. Perhaps the car companies in trouble need to adapt their plants to something very different, wind power, solar power, new energy powered cars, recyling plants, whatever, because they have the workers and knowledge to move forward. That might take time, but it would be worth it. We have plenty of cars but not enough of those energy saving devices. Oil is not the best thing, polluting and very limited at the present rate of consumption. I don't think people should be given anything, but if they work and need help and deserve it, then they should get it. There are too many people so some go without, a big problem in general. To me that is the root of most problems, pollution, global warming, poverty, unemployment, on and on.

txkboy San Angelo, TX   April 6th, 2009 2:22 pm ET

It's a shame that so much of mankinds history was lost in Iraq, due to looting. I hope they are able to recover the rest of the missing pieces. This is an ancient land that most people do forget about. I would like to see a primetime piece of your report Mohammed. I think it would help put the historic face, the forgotten face, on Iraq in-front of the American public.


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