Iraq tourism hangs in balance at Babylon

The words "tourism" and "Iraq" don't often get used in the same sentence these days, but if a new project to help preserve the historic ruins of Babylon pays off, archaeologists and officials say the country could soon be back on the international travel map.

So far, 2011 has been a good year for Babylon. Work funded by a $2 million U.S. State Department grant to restore two major structures has begun and one of two museums on the site damaged in the aftermath of the 2003 U.S.-led invasion is re-opening.

Home to several other ancient sites, including Ur -- the capital of the ancient civilization of Sumeria -- Iraq faces a race against time to protect its heritage against looters, environmental hazards and the ravages of modern life.

It is hoped the project at Babylon, whose legendary Hanging Gardens were one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, will help foster the skills needed to transform Iraq's other renowned archaeological sites into a major draw for academics and tourists.

"We're using (Babylon) as a lab for skill building," said Jeff Allen, a conservationist with the World Monuments Fund, which is working with Iraqi officials to try to secure United Nations World Heritage protection for the site.

Although Babylon may not necessarily be top of a very long to-do list for archaeologists in the conflict-scarred country, starting there is crucial because of the site's global fame and its significance to Iraqis, Allan said.

"It holds a certain identity for them, so although I could say there are better archaeological sites in Iraq, probably none of them holds the symbolism for Iraqis that this site does," he said.

Such is Babylon's draw that even as security spiraled out of control in 2004, a handful of Christian American religious tourists were trying to gain access to the site, then occupied by U.S. and later Polish troops.

Originally known as Babel, Babylon is mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments in the Bible. The city was the site of the legendary Tower of Babel and features in several Biblical prophecies.

The Iraqi government says 165 tourists from 16 different countries entered Iraq to visit historic sites between 2009 and 2010. It says their willingness to visit despite ongoing risks of violence proves Iraq's potential.

"Considering the security situation that Iraq is passing through, this number of foreign visitors gives a very good indicator of how important tourism is in Iraq and how big the tourism industry will be in the near future," said Tourism and Antiquities Ministry spokesman Abdul Zahra al-Talaqani.

The U.S. Department of State warns that "numerous insurgent groups remain active throughout Iraq" and "recommends against all but essential travel within the country."

The British Foreign office echoes that advice, saying that throughout Iraq "the situation remains highly dangerous."

According to al-Talaqani, Babylon is expected to play such a key part in reviving the country's tourism fortunes that plans are in the works to create a new airport near the site.

If followed through, this development is likely to be emblematic of the delicate balancing act faced by those restoring Babylon: the need to protect it from the pressures of modern life while bowing to the demands of locals who will need to exploit it to earn a living.

"As an archaeological site, you deal with the authentic remains and try to preserve its integrity," said Allen. "At the same time you're trying to offer opportunities for economic growth of the local area."

Another tricky problem is the extensive reconstruction undertaken under Saddam Hussein. Many features were rebuilt -- poorly, experts agree -- including a massive palace, the removal of which would cost millions of dollars.

For now, work is focused on two structures, Babylon's Ishtar Gate and its Nabu sha Hare temple, where effects of the Saddam-era reconstruction are problematic but more surmountable.

Nevertheless, the problems are being exacerbated by rising levels of corrosive water, as agricultural waste water and waste from villages pushes the water table up through surrounding salt lands.

"The degradation is at an incredible, alarming rate," said Allen of the effect of the groundwater on these structures. "We're going to have to do more investigations and find out who did what, then remove the additions and see what we have."

For those trying to preserve Babylon, it would seem the work has only just begun.

From CNN

UNESCO releases report on damage done to Babylon

On the 15th of January, 2005, the world woke to the BBC News headlines:

These were harsh words to swallow in a heavily critiqued and already unpopular war.  The United States was faced with rampant criticism not only from the fledgling Iraqi government, but from the global community.  As an investigation was launched to examine the extent of the damage, specific details soon came to light.

The initial 2,000 US troops and contractors, notably from KBR — then a Halliburton subsidiary - who were deployed in Baghdad set up camp amidst the ruins of old temples, including the site of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.   2,500 year old brick pavement was crushed by heavy military vehicles moving about and a helicopter pad was constructed on top of the site using compacted gravel and in some cases chemical treatment. The vibrations from helicopters using this same landing pad led to the roof of one of the buildings to collapse.

To top it all off, reports indicated that soldiers also filled their sandbags with archaeological artifacts, just because they were lying around and easy to pick up.

On Thursday, experts from UNESCO published the specifics from their survey in a report.

"There has indeed been a considerable amount of damage," said archaeologist John Curtis of the British Museum, who inspected the site just after U.S. troops handed it back to Iraqi authorities in late 2004.

He said nine of the dragon carvings from Babylon's landmark, 2,600-year-old Ishtar Gate, appeared to have been vandalized by looters while the site was under U.S. military control.

U.S. authorities have said the looting would have been worse had its troops not been there.

UNESCO officials stressed that the damage didn't begin with the U.S. military or fully end after it left. Many of Babylon's most famous artifacts were ripped off walls by European archaeologists during the 19th century and remain on display at the Louvre and Pergamon Museums in Paris and Berlin.

Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein also restored or distorted some of the ruins so badly that it prevented UNESCO from listing Babylon as a World Heritage site in the past, UNESCO officials said.

Looting and black-market trading has continued on a large scale since the site was handed back to Iraqis, they added.

The scale of the damage means it is too early to assess how much money will be needed to restore and fully protect the site, said Curtis and the other experts who prepared the UNESCO report, which caps five years of investigation and multiple findings by Iraqi and international academics.

"I'm happy to say we didn't actually find any sign of malicious damage," done after the departure of the U.S.-led coalition troops in 2004, Curtis told reporters.

There are, however, concerns that local Iraqi authorities are arguing with the country's Culture Ministry over control of the area, UNESCO said, and questions remain about a section of the site that was recently leveled to create a picnic zone.

The Iraqi ambassador to UNESCO said authorities were worried by all these problems and would try to solve them.

"(But) the priority of the government was, and still is, the security of people on the ground," said ambassador Muhy al-Khateeb.

It is not UNESCO's role to ascribe responsibilities for the damage, said Francoise Riviere, the agency's undersecretary general for culture. Damaging cultural artifacts is forbidden under the 1954 additional protocol to The Hague War Conventions, but the text has been largely ignored during conflicts around the world. (Read it here.)

Riviere said in Babylon's case, any possible financial settlement would be "left to the appreciation of the parties to the conflict."

The U.N. cultural body is leading efforts to reinforce the Hague rules "so that what happened to Babylon can't ever happen again," Riviere said.

UNESCO could coordinate funds and reconstruction efforts, Riviere said, hoping to improve Babylon's protection by making it a World Heritage site "possibly within two years."

From the Associated Press