06 February 2017
Iraq Goes Against the Odds with New Museum - The Basrah Museum, housed in a converted former palace of Saddam Hussein, opened its first gallery late last year after over 20 years of dormancy as written in HarperBazaarArabia
http://www.harpersbazaararabia.com/art/exhibitions/news/iraq-goes-against-the-odds-with-new-museum
20 December 2016
The Friends of Basrah Museum is one of seven recipients of the first grants made by the new Cultural Protection Fund (CPF), which was launched by The British Council in partnership with the Department of Cultural, Media and Sport.
https://www.britishcouncil.org/arts/culture-development/cultural-protection-fund
5 November 2016
Stephanie Dalley reported in the Financial Times – Arts Section – on ‘The people’s palace’ and reflected that “Regeneration through culture for an area that has suffered so much deserves heartfelt support.”
https://www.ft.com/content/0d91282c-8bb2-11e6-8cb7-e7ada1d123b1 by Stephanie Dalley
11 October 2016
Eleanor Robson (Chair of the British Institute for the Study of Iraq – www.bisi.ac.uk) writes in Apollo – the International Art Magazine ‘ Rethinking Iraq’s past and its future – at the Basrah Museum
http://www.apollo-magazine.com/rethinking-iraqs-past-and-its-future-at-the-basrah-museum/
9 October 2016
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
4 October 2016
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
29 September 2016
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.”
27 September 2016
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.
12 April 2016
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