The Sulaymaniyah Museum is on the list of museums, which houses wall reliefs from the northwest palace at Nimrud. This is a detail of a large stone wall panel, which shows Assyrian archers shooting arrows with their large bows. Colossal stone sculptures depicting winged, human-headed bulls and lions guarded the entrance. Some of the most famous reliefs come from the Northwest Palace at Nimrud. The museum has no intention to conserve, display, and study the other seven reliefs. I thanked him a lot and wished him a happy and healthy life. Many of these stone panels are on display in Room 9. The replicas portrayed hunting animals and one other the party of an Assyrian king (Nota Bene: He was referring to one of the Lion-Hunting Scenes of Ashurbanipal II and the Banquet Scene of Ashurbanipal II). Osama graduated from Baghdad University, College of Medicine and was the valedictorian student in internal medicine. AN ASSYRIAN GYPSUM RELIEF OF A WINGED GENIUS REIGN OF ASHURNASIRPAL II, CIRCA 883-859 B.C. The in situ artifacts of Nimrud were composed of palace wall reliefs, mainly from the northwest palace of Ashurnasirpal II,and few lamassu, which are mythical human-headed and winged bulls or lions. The situation soon reached a boiling point. In the midst of the current chaos incurred by the 2003 war and its aftermath, it is difficult to trace back much further than that. The fragments may be part of fragments that were left behind by one or more prior excavating team(s) for some reason or another. These sculptures are displayed alongside fragments and replicas of the huge bronze gates of Shalmaneser III (858–824 BC) from Balawat. The others were not labeled. The museum was closed at that time because of the war, and its contents were very minor and small… most of which were replicas. Where and when was 'Assyria'? This means that this relief was handled by a modern tool, before or after a relatively recent excavation at that time. History in travel, photos, interviews & more. It first asserted control over a large area in the 14th century BC, but by the 12th century BC it had collapsed. I asked Mr. Hashim Hama Abdullah, Director of the Sulaymaniyah Museum, about the history and journey of these reliefs in late 2014. It featured finely detailed narrative relief sculpture in stone or alabster - found mainly in the royal palaces - depicting most hunting episodes and military affairs. The fragments are relatively small and do not convey any clear-cut and complete scene. The British Museum, London. Currently, he is retired and lives happily in a rural house. My story ends there. The Sulaymaniyah Museum has done conservation work and displayed one fragment only. All of the reliefs’ margins showed a similar cut, except the disputed one, which pointed towards the usage of an electric saw. The room is not a full reconstruction: many aspects of the palace’s original appearance remain unknown, and the sculptures themselves come originally from multiple rooms, although together they are representative of the way in which many rooms in the palace … “There was no archaeology college in Sulaymaniyah at that time, and no one was there or ready to undertake the necessary research. The permission did not state which artifacts to be taken. Is it an evidence of a failed looting process on the ancient site? It forms a phase of the art of Mesopotamia, differing in particular because of its much greater use of stone and gypsum alabaster for large sculpture. The museum had not acquired new artifacts [for] maybe more than a decade. Thanks to the great work and excavations conducted by archaeologists from many parts of the world, in addition to Iraqis, artifacts from the Assyrian city of Nimrud are now displayed to the public in many museums and private collections all around the globe. Neither the author nor Ancient History Encyclopedia (AHE) endorses any specific of the aforementioned terms. We desperately examined and searched through the archives and documents of the museum from 1961 to the late 1990s; unfortunately, our attempt was fruitless. The ruthlessness of the Assyrian military, displayed in the carved panels that lined the king’s palace walls, would be appalling to anyone reared on the humanistic approaches to warfare established under the Geneva Convention. Osama is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians (FACP), Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow (FRCP Glasg), Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (FRCP Edin), Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (FRCPI), Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London FRCP Lond), and Fellow of the Stroke Council of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (FAHA). Most, if not all, of our readership knows about the intentional destruction of ancient artifacts, buildings, mosques, shrines, and the contents of Mosul museum contents by the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Hashim said Mutasim was the person who expanded the museum’s content, and he was quite sure that Mutasim had more information about these reliefs. I’m quite sure that the Iraqi Museum in Baghdad has at least some information. The Governorate of Mosul in Iraq is the site of several ancient Assyrian cities (Nimrud, Kouyunjik, and Dur-Sharrukin), in addition to Hatra. The Sulaymaniyah Museum is on the list of museums, which houses wall reliefs from the northwest palace at Nimrud. Assyrian Sculptures. Osama graduated from Baghdad University, College of Medicine and was the valedictorian student in internal medicine. Most, if not all, of our readership knows about the intentional destruction of ancient artifacts, buildings, mosques, shrines, and the contents of Mosul museum contents by the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). A single narrative was made up of several panels, and larger thematic cycles could span the four walls of an entire room. My intention to take photos of these reliefs and to publish them via Ancient History Encyclopedia (AHE) is to document their presence and share them with the world. He got membership diplomas of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of Ireland (MRCPI) and Glasgow (MRCP Glasg) and then became Board-certified in neurology. They were never displayed, never published, never restored, and obviously neglected, for reasons that I still don’t understand. In the past, the palace inscriptions, including Assyrian palace inscriptions, have been published in composite editions with little or no reference to the provenience of the individual exemplars; in addition, the original excavation reports often were more interested in … I flattered that he provided me with this useful information. Assyrian art was designed to overwhelm the viewer. During the Iraq-Iran War (1980-1988), the Sulaymaniyah Museum was officially closed to the public. The shape of the reliefs were roughly rectangular with somewhat similar dimensions of about 100 x 50 cm. I thanked him a lot and wished him a happy and healthy life. Osama is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians (FACP), Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow (FRCP Glasg), Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (FRCP Edin), Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (FRCPI), Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London FRCP Lond), and Fellow of the Stroke Council of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (FAHA). The Sulaymaniyah Museum in Iraqi Kurdistan houses eight small fragments from the Assyrian palace’s wall reliefs. They were never displayed, never published, never restored, and obviously neglected, for reasons that I still don’t understand. “During the mid-1980s, I was transferred from Baghdad to the Sulaymaniyah Museum. Currently, he is a Clinical Associate Professor at the Clinical School of the International Medical University, Malaysia. Two out of the eight reliefs showed the label of the Mosul Museum. The fragments are relatively small and do not convey any clear-cut and complete scene. The inscriptions were clear on most of them, meaning that they could be read, transliterated, and published. During the 10th and 9th centuries BC, Assyria … This was… in maybe 1986 or 1987 — I don’t remember honestly.”. Thi relief was not on display before then. Even among Iraqis, including those involved in archaeology or history, many and many have not heard about these reliefs of the Sulaymaniyah Museum. I don’t know where exactly they came from, but perhaps Nimrud or Nineveh? The content of the reliefs definitely cannot be compared with their counterparts, which are housed in various museums around the world, e.g., the British Museum. The Assyrians existed as an independent state fro 2400 B.C to the end of the 7th cent. State offices were also under the purview of the military. I retired in the mid-1990s. About 1200 BCE, the Assyrians finally conquered Babylon. Palace walls displayed people bringing tribute to the king, as well as depictions of the kings conquests, both on the battle field and during the hunt. When I went to the store rooms of the Mosul Museum, I found many fragments of Assyrian wall reliefs. The Governorate of Sulaymaniyah is on the Iraq-Iran border and was one of the bloody war zones between the two nations; additionally, it was the locus for the Kurdish rebellion against Saddam Hussein’s regime in the late 1980s. The brutality of the Assyrians to subjugated rivals or enemies is a well-documented record of history. Aug 12, 2015 - tiny-librarian: “Nefertiti, whose name means “the Beautiful One Is Here,” was principal queen of Akhenaton. His role as an acting director of the Sulaymaniyah Museum was vital and central in the development and expansion of the museum. Hashim phoned Mr. Mutasim and then arranged an interview for me. Finally, I gave up and surrendered. The Assyrians sack Babylon! Assyrian society was entirely military, with men obliged to fight in the army at any time. In the words of the British author Margaret Drabble, “When nothing is sure, everything is possible.” Enjoy these photos of the reliefs! I don’t know where exactly they came from, but perhaps Nimrud or Nineveh? The content of the reliefs definitely cannot be compared with their counterparts, which are housed in various museums around the world, e.g., the British Museum. During the Iraq-Iran War (1980-1988), the Sulaymaniyah Museum was officially closed to the public. The Sulaymaniyah Museum in Iraqi Kurdistan houses eight small fragments from the Assyrian palace’s wall reliefs. These ruthless tactics would be displayed in battle reliefs (carved murals) on Assyrian palace walls. A special gratitude goes to Mr. Mutasim Rasheed Abdulrahman, also known as Shex Mutasim (Arabic معتصم رشيد عبد الرحمن, المعروف بشيخ معتصم) for his cooperation; without his kind help, this article would have not been published. Is it an evidence of a failed looting process on the ancient site? In addition, all of them did not show any sign or label of the Iraqi Museum (“IM”). The inscriptions were clear on most of them, meaning that they could be read, transliterated, and published. The permission did not state which artifacts to be taken. All of these terms are used to describe the region. There is a complete lack of documentation of the excavation and the artifact’s transfer history, which was shared unequally by the three museums. (British Museum/ CC BY NC SA 4.0 ) The image shows tribute bearers - one has a North West Syrian type turban and raises clenched hands in submission; the second may be Phoenician and has a pair of monkeys. Hashim phoned Mr. Mutasim and then arranged an interview for me. It is an art of war – all muscle, movement, impact. Like her mother-in-law Queen Tiye, … Hashim said that you are a ‘brain physician’ or something and a military personnel, correct? Only one out of these eight pieces is on display within the main hall of the museum; the others were never displayed, and they did not undergo any conservation. Osama published more than 50 articles in international peer-reviewed neurology journals and 5 self-assessment books for the membership diploma of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom and Ireland. The Assyrians used mud brick as their primary building material, but the palace facades were often covered in white gypsum plaster that gleamed in the sunlight. I took permission from Mr. Muaid Saeed Al-Damirchy, former General Director of the Directorate of Antiquities of Iraq, to acquire and transfer ancient artifacts from the Iraqi Museum in Baghdad and Mosul Museum in Mosul Governorate to the Sulaymaniyah Museum. DOUBLE WARNING: Pet lions are a bad idea. WARNING: includes scenes of pet lions. Therefore, when I saw these reliefs, in this miserable condition, I decided to take them with me. It was my idea to tie our names with Ashurnasirpal II’s name.”. Assyrian sculpture is the sculpture of the ancient Assyrian states, especially the Neo-Assyrian Empire of 911 to 612 BC, which ruled modern Iraq, Syria, and much of Iran. After three or four years, the Iraqi army invaded Kuwait, economic sanctions affected the entire country, the Gulf War began, the Kurdish uprisings ensued, and the Federal Kurdish Government of Iraqi Kurdistan was established… all of this created a turbulent environment. Wall panel relief from the throne room of the palace. Tiglath Pileser III (747-727 BC) King of Assyria - Created first standing army and used conscription to force conquered people to fight in light infantry Assyrian army. The situation soon reached a boiling point. Google has many special features to help you find exactly what you're looking for. Mr. Muaid, however, was very cooperative and ordered them to give the reliefs to me. On the other hand, it may be that the excavators just wanted to pick up, transfer, and conserve anything on the spot with no intention to display them or research further. Their storage was strange and full of negligence, in addition to being unnoticed. Even among Iraqis, including those involved in archaeology or history, many and many have not heard about these reliefs of the Sulaymaniyah Museum. Mr. Mutasim is a well-known archaeologist in Iraq. The archers stand behind siege engines (not shown here). It lies in one of the halls, which houses several masterpieces of the museum; this hall was renovated by UNESCO in 2013. It was my idea to tie our names with Ashurnasirpal II’s name.”. All of these terms are used to describe the region. The reliefs were transferred first to the Iraqi Museum in Baghdad at some point in time, but again, I don’t know when. Currently, he is a Clinical Associate Professor at the Clinical School of the International Medical University, Malaysia. The Assyrians were always shown victorious in the battle scenes displayed throughout their palaces. The in situ artifacts of Nimrud were composed of palace wall reliefs, mainly from the northwest palace of Ashurnasirpal II,and few lamassu, which are mythical human-headed and winged bulls or lions.