(March 31 2017) Reopen the museums, restart archaeological excavations, train professionals of cultural heritage, meet with high school students. This is Eduu, European project coordinated by the University of Bologna and dedicated to the restoration and enhancement of Iraqi cultural heritage. The project starts these days with a kick-off meeting in Diwaniyah, 200 kilometers south of Baghdad, is funded by EuropeAid with over 1 million euros and involving with the Alma Mater, the University of Turin and three Iraqi Universities, the University of Baghdad, of Al-Qadisiyah and of Kufa. The goal is to rebuild promotional network for historical and archaeological heritage of the country. Besides involving Baghdad Museum using some of it spaces, Eduu activities will allow the opening of two museums that are closed today, the museum of Kufa and the one of Diwaniyah and will help the creation of cultural associations, dedicated to the promotion of cultural heritage. "With this project - explains Nicolò Marchetti, Alma Mater's project coordinator and professor of Department of History, Culture and Civilization - we want to involve Iraqi civil society, creating positive synergies between its different components, from universities to high schools, through the superintendents, museums and local, regional and national administrations: different realities that far too often they speak too little to each other." (Red)

ABOUT / ACTIVITIES

Besides the work on museums, the project involves two important archaeological sites, one in the Afak area (Al-Qadisiyah governorate) where Unibo leads an archaeological survey and a website, and one at Telul el-Baqarat, in Al- Kut (Wasit governorate) area. But there are also scheduled, training activities for the staff of local superintendents, lessons in high schools on the history and the value of the Iraqi cultural heritage and activities to involve the rural population in the preservation of the territory.