Our Mission

The Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH) manages the National Heritage Sites and National Museums of Iraq and has been known as one of the finest institutions for archaeology and cultural heritage in the Middle East for a long time. Its members have collaborated with international institutions and major national projects for many decades and are still continuing this tradition of cooperation with both public and private institutions.

The history of SBAH begins in 1924 when the first Law of Antiquities was approved thanks to the efforts of the British scholar Gertrude Bell. After the British Mandate ended in 1932, it was Sati Al-Husri who promoted a new law code, approved in 1936 [Antiquities Law No. 59, with amendments No. 120 (1974) and No. 164 (1975)]. The current Law No. 55 dates to 2002.