Some fear a valuable location like the Baghdad museum, which was a government-run building and dates back to the 1920s when it was founded by a British diplomat, could be an easy target. The museum is located near one of Saddam's presidential palaces in central Baghdad on the west bank of the Tigris River.
Baghdad Museum Likely Target
"It's a beautiful, sprawling building with an elaborate gateway out front," said [specialist John] Russell. "It's L-shaped and has three to four courtyards."
After the previous Gulf War in 1991, archaeologists estimate that looters seized thousands of ancient artifacts and then sold them on the black market. The Baghdad museum remained safe from looters during that conflict, although nine of 13 museums in Iraq's south and north were raided by mobs, who smashed exhibits and stole artifacts.
"If there is a time when you're going to lose the collection it's now � during this volatile transition between Saddam Hussein's regime and whatever comes next," said Elizabeth Stone, an archaeologist at State University of New York in Stony Brook. "Even here when Hurricane Gloria came through, people were looting and doing outrageous things.
"And that was just a hurricane. This is a regime change."
Russell has tried, but not managed to reach his colleagues at the Baghdad museum since the war began. Phone lines haven't worked and his friends haven't been able to use e-mail.
"There isn't even a Web site for the museum yet � things have been pretty closed, " he said. "But now, maybe that's one thing that will change."
No web page! When things settle down maybe we can get them to start a blog.
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