Theopi Skarlatos of BBC News, Basra ‘in pictures’ feature on the ‘Basra Museum: How Saddam’s palace was given to the people’. This piece discusses the hard work of repairing the palace to turn it in to a museum.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-37550027
Patrick Steele writes in the Museums Association/ Museums Journal Blog about the opening of the Museum and the continuing need for fundraising to complete restoration and open the remaining galleries.
http://www.museumsassociation.org/museums-journal/news/04102016-basrah-museum-opens-first-gallery
Karen Hua wrote shortly after the opening in Forbes/Lifestyle on ‘Saddam Hussein’s Former Basra Palace is now an Art Museum’. She includes an Instagram post translated from Arabic.
‘The Basra Screen Instagram post translates to: We do not exaggerate when we say that it’s one of the happiest days in Basra in many years. Reopening the city’s largest museum represents an important step in conserving the heritage and culture of the tribes that lived on the land and passing this information on to new generations. What has been inaugurated today represents the first phase, and it will be followed by later stages including halls of advanced technologies. Basra Museum, starting from today, will receive visitors from 9 a.m. until 1:30 p.m., Sunday through Thursday every week. Thanks to Great Britain and Professor Qahtan, Basra’s antiquities chief (who helped launch the idea on the British side and contributed Bonizam marshes to the World Heritage List). And thanks to everyone who contributed to the completion of this edifice.”
Martin Bailey writes in the Museum section of The Art Newspaper ‘Basrah Museum opens against the odds in Iraq’ and provides timely reporting about the museum on the day of the opening.
http://theartnewspaper.com/news/museums/iraq-s-newest-museum-determined-to-open-against-the-odds/
Via the Associate Press an article was shared world-wide on the opening was shared on 27 September.
Hili Perlson – Artnet news ‘Saddam Hussein’s Basra Palace will reopen as a Musuem’ provides a overview before the opening of the Museum.
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/saddam-husseins-palace-basra-museum-471509