Cultural heritage management in conflict areas:‎ The case of Iraq

One of the most prominent modern disciplines of archaeology is the ‎speciality ‎of cultural ‎heritage management. The need for managing the ‎world's ‎cultural and ‎natural heritage sites is increasing because of armed conflicts that ‎negatively ‎affect ‎these areas, along with many other variables. This area of expertise ‎is developed and ‎‎updated at academic and practical levels by all the world's states. ‎Along with the ‎‎human and cultural heritage, the sensitivity to protect the ‎environmental natural ‎‎heritage has increased exponentially. In this framework, both ‎international and ‎national ‎institutions and organizations affiliated to the state, and ‎civil society ‎‎organizations, have been formed. These organizations have been ‎founded to make ‎‎classification, management, protection and maintenance processes ‎to ensure the ‎security ‎and development of natural, cultural archaeological sites.‎ These organizations, beyond organizing administrative ‎and ‎developmental ‎plans related to the infrastructure of archaeological activities, ‎also ‎play an active role ‎in the drafting of laws, regulations, legislation and regulations ‎for ‎legal procedures. ‎They also take part in interstate ‎agreements and inter-regional ‎agreements to ‎guarantee the protection and ‎development of the sites that are widely ‎available in the ‎world. Also, especially in ‎times of armed conflict, these organizations ‎are ‎resorting to ‎legal means.‎ Despite all the international treaties and special legal arrangements ‎for ‎‎protecting cultural heritage sites, these areas have suffered ‎distinguished ‎destruction ‎and demolition because of military and civil armed conflicts. Thus, ‎the ‎past, present ‎and future of humanity are in danger in many countries of the ‎world ‎as ‎they are the ‎target of direct and indirect armed attacks.‎ Most of ‎the archaeological ‎sites in the ‎Middle East, especially in Iraq, have been exposed ‎to ‎destruction, ‎destruction and ‎theft for a long time.‎ This thesis specializes in the management of cultural ‎heritage. Wherefore the ‎principal ‎purpose of this thesis is to study Iraq's experience in managing ‎its ‎cultural ‎heritage. ‎Iraq, which contains thousands of cultural heritage sites, is one of ‎the most ‎prominent ‎areas of armed conflict in the world. Therefore, this thesis ‎discusses and ‎analyzes the ‎experience of Iraq and its problems in this field, and puts ‎forward some ‎solutions and ‎proposals for the development of the management of cultural ‎heritage, ‎especially ‎during times of armed conflict.‎ In the first chapter, it will present the essence and importance of cultural ‎and ‎natural heritage and their types. Then, in the second chapter, ‎explains ‎the ‎risks ‎and ‎threats to cultural heritage. While the third ‎chapter ‎‎‎includes the ‎discussion of ‎Iraq's ‎experiences in the management of cultural ‎heritage ‎‎‎sites, ‎especially in periods ‎of war ‎and armed conflict. Also, In this chapter ‎clarifies the ‎‎demolition, ‎‎destruction ‎and ‎theft activities of Iraqi cultural heritage sites, ‎through ‎history, ‎including, in ‎particular, ‎archaeological sites in the ‎governorates of Nineveh, which ‎were occupied ‎by armed gangs ‎known as ISIS during ‎the years ‎‎2014-2017. Those ‎armed gangs ‎destroyed the ‎archaeological sites and ‎detonated ‎them after stealing ‎their valuable ‎contents. In the fourth chapter of this study ‎‎deals with international ‎and domestic ‎efforts in the processes of protecting and ‎‎preserving cultural heritage ‎sites through ‎international laws, agreements and ‎‎covenants, besides researching some ‎problems ‎facing ‎managing cultural heritage in ‎Iraq. Finally, this is followed by the ‎study's ‎findings and ‎some solutions that are ‎thought to address some problems of the ‎cultural ‎heritage ‎management in Iraq.‎ ‎ ‎ Keywords: Archaeology, Cultural Heritage, Management, Iraq, Destruction, ‎Conflict areas, UNESCO.‎