Rescue Renovations in Iraq

Rescue Renovation of Earth Quake Damages at Heritage Buildings and the Museum
of Sulaymanyiah (2018-2020)

• Project Leader: Dr. Simone Mühl
• Cooperation Partner: Kamal Rasheed, Directorate of Antiquities Sulaymaniyah, UNESCO Office Iraq
• Third-Party Funder: Gerda Henkel Foundation, Support Programme Patrimonies

On 12th November 2017 the provinces of Sulaymaniyah and Halabjah in Iraqi Kurdistan were shattered by a heavy earthquake (7.3 on the Richter Scale). The epicentre was in Darbandikhan, 80 km south-east of Sulaymaniyah at the Iraqi-Iranian border. Near to 500 people were killed on the Iranian side and more than 1000 were injured. Thousands of people lost their homes, since Darbandikhan and several other villages were almost completely destroyed. The damages in the province capital of Sulaymanyiah were manageable.

Nevertheless, several heritage buildings of the 19th century were in part heavily damaged by the earthquake, especially by its aftershock. These buildings constitute the remains of the original town centre of Sulaymaniyah and are in the possession of the local Antiquity Board. Furthermore, the Sulaymaniyah Museum was affected, which is the third largest archaeological museum of Iraq and houses finds from the Stone Age through to medieval times.

These buildings are now being restored and preserved from imminent decay with the funds from the Gerda Henkel Foundation. There are massive structural damages of supporting walls and the traditional mudbrick roofs to be repaired, modern installations have to be removed, and the elaborate stucko ornaments and intarsia in the entrance halls of the houses have to be preserved. In a second funding phase, we have received additional financial means to have the doors and windows fabricated in traditional style by local craftsmen. When the work is finished, the houses will be made accessible to the public within the framework of utilization concepts in the cultural-artistic field.

• Link Dr. Simone Mühl: https://www.vorderas-archaeologie.uni-muenchen.de/personen/wiss_mitarbeiter/muehl/projekte/index.html
• Link Gerda Henkel Patrimonies: https://www.gerda-henkel-stiftung.de/patrimonies
• Link Mutabchi-House to 3D-objects: https://skfb.ly/6RNSD, https://skfb.ly/6TKNY
• Link Azad Noori Bag-House to3D-objects: https://skfb.ly/6TKNV

1: Front of the Azad Noori Bag House before its Renovation.

2: Imminent collapse of the roof of the Azad Noori-House 

3: Wall damages that have caused cracks in stucko ornaments (Mutabchi-House).