Preserving heritage: Iraqi Media Museum chronicles a bygone era

Shafaq News/ The Iraqi Media Museum offers a comprehensive journey through the nation’s rich media history. From rare cameras and historic documents to iconic sound mixers and television equipment, the museum preserves the tools and stories of an era when media played a crucial role in documenting and shaping societal change.

A Journey Back in Time

The idea for the museum was conceived during a visit by musician Naseer Shamma in 2018, funded and supported by the Private Banks Association.

Since its opening in 2022, the museum has been managed by artist Mina Al-Helo, who worked diligently with other artists and media professionals to collect media artifacts, including items dating back to 1910.

According to Al-Helo, the former radio training building was refurbished to serve as a hall for showcasing various Iraqi media equipment.

Al-Helo told Shafaq News that several government and non-governmental organizations supported the museum initiative, which now comprises three main halls: one for journalism, another for television equipment, and a hall dedicated to radio. Additionally, the museum includes a third hall displaying various devices.

Furthermore, there are upper-floor halls, one designated for exhibits and another designed to replicate the studio of the famous program "Sports in a Week," complete with all its equipment.

Treasures of the Past

The Iraqi Media Museum currently houses rare artifacts, including a golden-caged nightingale sculpture gifted by Adolf Hitler to King Ghazi in the 1930s. This piece was stolen but later acquired by radio director Khattab Omar from the thief and donated to the museum. The museum also boasts an audio mixer once owned by composer Talib al-Qara Ghouli, renowned for his expertise in using sound equipment.

The museum's hall features a variety of television cameras of different sizes and types, sound mixers, editing equipment, photographic cameras, old radios, televisions, and models of artists and media personalities. Additionally, there are old magazines, such as the Radio and Television Magazine, among other rare artifacts.

Al-Helo drew inspiration for the museum's logo from the cuneiform word "Ekee," which means eye or vision in ancient Mesopotamian language.

In the 1940s, the current museum building served as a primary school, later transforming into a radio training institute, from which a distinguished group of media professionals graduated. According to al-Helo, 90% of the media professionals and presenters at that time received various media training to enhance their skills before the building was used as an alternative studio for Iraq.

In 2003, the radio and television building was subjected to burning, destruction, and looting, similar to all governmental institutions, with its contents, including radio and television equipment, studios, archives, and art pieces, being stolen.

Building the Iraqi Media Museum

The Iraqi Media Network's warehouses are the primary source for the museum's artifacts, supplemented by donations from media and political figures, as well as citizens, according to museum employee Mazen Rahim.

Rahim explained to Shafaq News that some devices were previously housed in the Ministry of Culture's Conference Palace and other devices in the Parliament, dating back to the former regime, including an editing device from the 1980s.

Over a single year, more than 200 devices from the Iraqi media's history were collected. Rahim added that “a committee of experts and retired engineers was formed to gather and identify each device's function. This task was challenging due to some donors' concerns about the proper display of their donated items.”

Rahim confirmed that some journalists and artists donated newspapers and magazines dating back over five decades. Actor Sami Qeftan donated his awards, while the family of the late director and actor Yousif al-Ani donated a box containing his handwritten works. Additionally, photographers Abdullah and Hussein Hassoun donated their fully equipped studio to the museum.

When asked about tourist interest in the museum, Mina al-Helo stated that “there is no cooperation between the relevant institutions to organize visits for Arab and foreign delegations, despite Baghdad being chosen as the tourism capital for 2025.” She argued that the Ministry of Culture and related institutions should have included a tour of the Iraqi Media Museum in their tourist programs.

Al-Helo concluded by mentioning plans to expand and add new halls to the museum, including a hall dedicated to the pioneers of Iraqi culture and art, and another for Iraqi cinema. She also hopes to collect an archive of cartoons and comics to create a special wall fortheirworks.