Report on Damage Assessments in Babylon

Further to the request made to UNESCO in February 2005 by the Minister of Culture of Iraq, it was agreed to devote a working session to the archaeological site of Babylon where a military base was installed (150 hectares) in the central part of the site since in April 2003. The Special Session that took place on 24th of June 2005 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris aimed at assessing the condition of the site of Babylon, devising measures to mitigate the damage, coordinating activities and efforts, and assisting the Iraqi authorities to prepare an overall conservation and management plan for the site of Babylon. Some thirty participants participated in the meeting, including the Iraqi Minister of Culture and the Iraqi Minister of State for Tourism and Antiquities, Iraqi representatives from the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH), international experts and observers from international organizations.