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Baghdad's Reopened Museum Battles Bombs, Sparse Attendance
By Peter Schwartzstein
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At the Iraqi National Museum in Baghdad, visitors walk toward the winged bull statues in the Assyrian gallery, which also houses ancient reliefs and a mural made with more than 300 glazed bricks (KARIM KADIM/AP)
Standing before two priceless winged bull statues, Raimon Daniel struggled to compose himself before delivering a verdict on the recently reopened Iraqi National Museum. "It's sad when your history can mostly fit in one room," he said, as he surveyed a series of massive marble reliefs depicting Mesopotamian history. As imposing remnants of a lost civilization, the artifacts stir visitors who venture deep into the museum's cavernous galleries. But as an Assyrian who's seen the Islamic State overrun his culture's ancient heritage, gutting the ruins of Nineveh, Nimrud, and Hatra in northern Iraq, Daniel was deeply moved by the display. "Coming here, this is getting back at the jihadists," the recent university graduate said, holding back tears. The museum, which has been mostly shuttered since it was looted in the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, reopened in late February, barely 48 hours after jihadists from the Islamic State group smashed exhibits in the Mosul museum's collection and broadcast images of that carnage to the world. Three months later, however, and the museum is struggling to attract visitors. Some Baghdad residents insist they aren't aware of its existence, despite a much publicized ceremony to mark the occasion, while others have stayed away because of a recent uptick in terrorist attacks--one of which struck a nearby caf



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