Shafaq News – Baghdad

The Iraqi government agreed to relocate the Baghdad Grand Museum project to the Green Zone, Iraq’s Tourism and Antiquities Minister Ahmed Al-Badrani revealed on Monday.

Al-Badrani told Shafaq News that the museum will be established in coordination with the caretaker prime minister, making it the second-largest museum in Iraq after the National Museum, noting that the government plans to begin construction next year.

He added that Iraq possesses “an enormous volume of diverse antiquities belonging to multiple civilizations.”

On Saturday, the minister announced that the ministry intends to build a new museum on a large tract of land to showcase artifacts from various eras of Mesopotamian history.

Read more: A race against time: Restoring Iraq's lost history

Baghdad, founded in 762 CE at the height of the Abbasid Caliphate, has long served as Iraq’s political and cultural center, carrying a legacy of learning and civilization even as it continues to rebuild after decades of conflict and instability.

Read more: Discover Iraq: Baghdad, a city shaped by conflict and enduring hope