The Nimrud Rescue Project

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Nimrud Rescue Project is a collaborative project to recover fragments of Neo-Assyrian sculptures bombed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in 2015–2016, and to develop a long-term plan for the preservation and use of the site and its architectural remains through capacity-building and support of Iraqi heritage professionals. The Smithsonian Institution has been working with colleagues from the Nineveh Provincial Office of the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH) since early 2017. The project is one of many managed through a partnership with the Iraqi Institute for the Conservation of Antiquities and Heritage (IICAH) in Erbil, Iraq. The Smithsonian has approached recovery and preservation of the site in partnership with Iraqi stewards. Together with the SBAH Nineveh Directorate, the Smithsonian worked to define site needs and develop the skills required by the cadre of local archaeologists (called the ‘Nimrud Rescue Team’, or NRT) to recover and protect stone sculpture fragments scattered across the site. A purpose-built storage facility has been completed and the NRT has begun the process of recovery using the ‘First Aid to Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis’ (FAC) methodology developed by ICCROM and others for organized recovery of cultural heritage objects after a disaster.