Shafaq News- Saladin

Saladin’s Antiquities and Heritage Inspectorate launched a public-awareness campaign on Sunday to protect archaeological and historic sites across the province, working with specialized police and other local authorities.

Inspector Hashem Jassim Hassoun told Shafaq News that the campaign aims to increase public awareness of the historical and cultural value of Saladin’s archaeological sites and encourage communities to help preserve them.

The initiative combines public education with increased field monitoring to prevent encroachments, unauthorized activity and other practices that could damage archaeological or heritage locations.

Hassoun said archaeological staff are coordinating with the Antiquities Police, a specialized police force responsible for protecting Iraq’s archaeological sites and cultural property, as well as other local security units.

The campaign forms part of wider efforts by Iraq’s antiquities authorities to strengthen protection of heritage sites through public outreach, inspections and cooperation with security agencies.

Saladin, in north-central Iraq, contains some of the country’s most important archaeological landmarks, including Samarra Archaeological City and Ashur, the ancient Assyrian capital. Both are listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Earlier this year, Saladin authorities also began marking archaeological locations with the internationally recognized Blue Shield emblem, which identifies cultural property protected under the 1954 Hague Convention.

Read more: From Babylon to Erbil: Iraq’s UNESCO sites and those next in line