Iraq National Museum reopened

After six eventful years during which it saw destruction, looting, closure, refurbishment and the return of many stolen artefacts, Iraq’s National Museum has reopened to the public. The Islamic and Assyrian wings have been given a US$1.1 million facelift.Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki, who was present with a small gathering to celebrate the occasion a day before the Museum opened its doors to the public, said that the last six years had been “a dark time for Iraq”, but that Iraq has “moved past the cycle of violence and entered an era of reconstruction.”