The Nahrein Network’s Farewell Conference in Baghdad

By Zainab, on 25 June 2025

On 25 and 26 April 2025, the Nahrein Network organised a farewell conference, after eight years of working in Iraq. The conference, organised in Baghdad, saw over 120 participants attend, most of whom were active members of the network. Those include visiting scholars, grant recipients and also beneficiaries of the network’s numerous research and capacity-building programmes. 

Professor Eleanor Robson, director of the Nahrein Network, stated that Iraq has witnessed progressive transformation since the start of the programme in 2017 and that all involved should be proud of their achievements and contributions to Iraq’s higher education, research capacity and cultural heritage development. 

The two-day conference programme saw participation from over thirty research institutions and universities in Iraq, including from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and from neighbouring countries. Themes included those pertaining to post-conflict recovery, living traditions, threatened heritage, building professional and knowledge networks, higher education capacity building and the impact of visiting scholarships to the UK. The conference consisted of panel discussion and presentations, which showcased Iraq’s rich and diverse cultural heritage and the nature of programmes and activities supported over the past few years. 

Some of the projects discussed included those concerning Iraq’s water-based cultural heritage, research concerning museums, cultural minorities and the impact and legacies of conflict on Iraq’s cultural property and tangible heritage and the impact of investment on the country’s archaeological sites. 

At the end of the conference on 26 April, participants were invited to a meal of masgouf fish, at the Abu Nuwas based Al Baghdadi restaurant. 

The conference ended with a call to continue the work started by the Nahrein Network and to strengthen project-based and institutional relationships and collaborations. The Nahrein Network formally comes to a close at the end of August 2025. 

Nineveh Gates: Challenges, Sustainability and Strengthening Community Relations in Mosul

By Zainab, on 18 June 2025

We talk to Mustafa Yahya Faraj, an archaeologist with the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage. Mustafa held a Nahrein – BISI Visiting Scholarship at UCL. His project is titled Nineveh Gates: Challenges, Sustainability and Strengthening Community Relations in Mosul and is under the supervision of Professor Mark Altaweel.

Mustafa with Prof Eleanor Robson at UCL

Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m an archaeologist from Mosul, Iraq. I hold both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Ancient Archaeology from the University of Mosul, and I have been working with the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage of Iraq (SBAH) since 2013. I have worked at some of Iraq’s most significant heritage sites, including Nineveh, Nimrud, and the Mosul Museum, where I’ve been actively involved in excavation, restoration, and emergency rescue projects. These experiences have also allowed me to collaborate with esteemed institutions such as the University of Mosul, the Smithsonian Institution, and the University of Heidelberg.

From 2023 to 2025, I was part of—and helped lead—the restoration project of the Mar Toma Syriac Orthodox Church in the old city of Mosul. This initiative, supported by the ALIPH Foundation and L’Œuvre d’Orient, aimed to revive one of the city’s most iconic landmarks. I’m also passionate about documenting historical buildings and sites, especially in Mosul before and after the ISIS occupation. My work includes extensive photographic and written documentation to help preserve cultural memory and identity.

I have completed several international training programs, including a rescue archaeology course at the Iraqi Institute for the Conservation of Antiquities and Heritage (IICAH) in Erbil, and courses on archaeological entrepreneurship offered by Koç University and the University of Bologna. In 2025, I was honored to serve as a Visiting Scholar at the Institute of Archaeology – UCL, where I conducted research on the social, economic, and cultural impact of the Gates of Nineveh on the local community.

I am a member of ICOMOS and ISCARSAH, and throughout my career, I have received over fifteen certificates and letters of appreciation from both Iraqi and international institutions in recognition of my contributions to heritage preservation.

Tell us more about your project.

My research project focuses on the Gates of Nineveh from three key aspects. First, it involves assessing their current condition, documenting violations, and reviewing previous excavation rescue and restoration efforts after 2017. Second, it explores sustainable approaches to the conservation and management of the gates. Third, it examines the relationship between the gates and the local community, how people interact with these structures and perceive them as symbols of heritage and identity.

How was your Visiting Scholarship experience in the UK?

My Visiting Scholarship experience in the UK was truly transformative, both academically and personally. I had the honor of joining the Institute of Archaeology at University College London (UCL) as a Visiting Scholar, where I focused on researching the Gates of Nineveh. This opportunity allowed me to engage with outstanding researchers, and explore the British Museum and UCL’s extensive library collections.

Living in the UK gave me the chance to learn about the country’s rich heritage and preservation practices. I visited several historic sites including Avebury, King Richard III Visitor Centre, and the city of Bath. These visits offered hands-on insight into how archaeological sites are presented, protected, and integrated into public life. I was especially impressed by the museum interpretation techniques, the integration of digital media in storytelling, and the urban planning efforts to preserve architectural identity in historic cities like Bath.

Equally important were the cultural experiences exploring London’s communities, visiting monuments and landmarks, and building friendships with people from around the world. These moments broadened my perspective and strengthened my belief in the importance of international collaboration in cultural heritage protection.

The knowledge, skills, and inspiration I gained during this scholarship are already influencing my work in Iraq, especially in documentation and site management. I am grateful to the British Institute for the Study of Iraq (BISI) and Nahrain Network for making this journey possible, and I look forward to building on this experience in future heritage projects.

What were the main benefits of your scholarship?

I was given a remarkable opportunity to start conduct research on the Gates of Nineveh at the Institute of Archaeology – UCL, focusing on four key aspects. First, the study the current condition of the gates and the violations they have been subjected. Second, it explored methods of archaeological site management and sustainability, with the aim of adopted these practices to the Gates of Nineveh. Third, it investigated the relationship between the gates and the local community, considering them as symbols of cultural identity, tourist attractions, and potential agents of community healing in Mosul’s post-conflict context. Finally, the research involved the creation of a new multi-layered map of the Gates of Nineveh, based on aerial and satellite imagery. This map includes three layers: the first from Royal Air Force (RAF) aerial photographs taken in the 1920s, the second from CORONA satellite images dating to the 1960s, and the third from recent satellite imagery, allowing for a comparative analysis of the gates condition over the past 100 years. Without this generous scholarship, it would not have been possible to carry out the research in such depth and from these important perspectives.

What was the main highlight of your scholarship?

The main benefits of my scholarship included access to academic resources at UCL and the other institutions, as well as the opportunity to engage with leading experts in archaeology and heritage preservation. I visited archaeological sites and museums across the UK to learn new methods of site management and sustainability, with the aim of adopted these practices to the Gates of Nineveh. The experience also allowed me to expand my professional network and gain valuable insights into the protection and promotion of cultural heritage.

What were the main things you learnt from your Host Institution?

From my host institution and supervisor, I learned advanced methods of interpretation and heritage management. I gained a deeper understanding of conservation and promotion strategies for archaeological sites, enhanced my academic research skills, and learned how UK institutions collaborate with local and international partners on heritage projects.

How has the scholarship helped you in your work in Iraq?

The scholarship has significantly strengthened my ability to contribute to the preservation of Iraq’s heritage. It equipped me with sustainable methods for managing archaeological sites, which I can apply in Mosul. Additionally, it broadened my perspective on how heritage can serve as a powerful tool for reconciliation, education, and economic development.

What will you do to continue your research in Iraq?

I will continue my research by collecting field data from the Nineveh Gates, analysing satellite imagery, and interviewing local residents about the cultural significance of the gates. I plan to publish my results and contribute to national and international discussions on the preservation and future of Nineveh’s heritage.

Iraq’s Higher Education Cultural Heritage Curricula and Teaching Materials. Mapping, Assessment and Knowledge Exchange

By Zainab, on 24 March 2025

We talk to Dr. Ahmed A. Al-Imarah, Professor of Higher Education Management at theUniversity of Kufa. Dr. Ahmed held a Nahrein – BISI Visiting Scholarship at the University of Oxford, Department of Education. Dr. Ahmed’s project is titled Iraq’s Higher Education Cultural Heritage Curricula and is under the supervision of Professor Nigel Fancourt.

Dr Ahmed at UCL

What were the main benefits of your scholarship?

• The scholarship provided the opportunity to systematically map, assess, and enhance cultural heritage curricula in Iraq’s higher education system.
• Collaboration with Oxford University academics, particularly Professor Nigel Fancourt, led to developing a research proposal on how universities can support cultural heritage.
• Access to Oxford’s scientific references and academic resources significantly contributed to advancing research.
• Participation in weekly seminars, lectures, and networking with faculty and PhD students expanded academic skills and research perspectives.
• Visiting museums deepened the understanding of tangible heritage and its role in fostering social cohesion and cultural appreciation.

What was the main highlight of your scholarship?

• A key highlight was the development of a collaborative research plan with Oxford University staff to address gaps in cultural heritage education. This included examining how universities can support cultural heritage and engaging in meaningful discussions about its societal impact.
• Another significant moment was delivering a joint lecture with Professor Fancourt at the Iraqi Embassy in London, discussing opportunities for collaboration between Iraqi and British universities.

What were the main things you learned from your host institution?

• Insight into curriculum design mechanisms across different educational systems, with a focus on improving Iraq’s cultural heritage education.
• The importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in cultural heritage studies.
• Effective methods for integrating cultural heritage themes into university programs to promote social cohesion and national diversity.
• The value of museums in preserving history and fostering a shared cultural identity.
• Best practices for conducting and publishing academic research, particularly in underexplored areas like Iraqi universities and their role in cultural heritage.

How has the scholarship helped you in your work in Iraq?

• It has provided a foundation for enhancing cultural heritage curricula in Iraqi universities by incorporating global best practices.
• The collaborative research proposal with Oxford University will contribute to addressing gaps in Iraq’s higher education sector.
• Connections established during the visit will facilitate future academic partnerships and knowledge exchange between Iraqi and British institutions.
• The insights gained from museum visits and academic discussions will be applied to promote awareness of Iraq’s tangible and intangible heritage.
• The discussions at the Iraqi Embassy contributed to shaping higher education policies by identifying areas for cooperation between Iraqi and UK universities.

What will you do to continue your research in Iraq?

• Implement the findings from the research project into the cultural heritage curricula at the University of Kufa.
• Continue collaboration with Oxford University through the extended university ID, allowing further access to academic resources.
• Organize a training program on global research methodologies for Iraqi professors.
• Work on publishing research on the role of Iraqi universities in supporting cultural heritage.
• Promote interdisciplinary approaches to cultural heritage studies and encourage faculty members to integrate these topics into their teaching.
• Advocate for academic partnerships between Iraqi and British universities, focusing on faculty exchange, student opportunities, and research collaborations.

Dr Ahmed at UCL

Strengthening Academic Collaboration: Scientific Symposium at the Iraqi Embassy in London

By Zainab, on 8 March 2025

On February 10, 2025, the Iraqi Embassy in London hosted a scientific symposium focused on strengthening academic collaboration between Iraqi and British universities. The event brought together embassy officials, the Iraqi Cultural Attaché, and esteemed professors from various British universities to explore opportunities for excellence in higher education.

The symposium featured insightful discussions led by Nahrein Network – BISI Visiting Scholar, Professor Ahmed A. Al-Imarah and his Research Supervisor, Professor Nigel Fancourt from the University of Oxford. Their joint lecture highlighted key topics such as common challenges in higher education, opportunities for development, and essential elements for successful university partnerships.

A major outcome of the event was the proposal of four priority areas for collaboration:

• Enhancing academic culture
• Hosting academic visitors
• Inviting postgraduate students
• Sharing unique research data

The discussions emphasized that careful planning is crucial to ensuring these collaborations benefit both parties. Moreover, the success of partnerships should be measured by tangible outcomes, rather than simply signing agreements. While challenges exist, they can be overcome through strategic cooperation and shared commitment.

This symposium aligns with recent government initiatives to strengthen partnerships between Iraqi and British universities, following the Iraqi Prime Minister’s visit to the UK. The recommendations from the event will be submitted to the Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, contributing to long-term academic and research collaboration.

Dr. Bzhar Othman Ahmed on the Economic Life of Jews in Koya (1918-1951) at LSE-MEC

By Zainab, on 3 March 2025

Dr. Bzhar Othman Ahmed, a history lecturer at Soran University in Soran City in Erbil, has been awarded a Nahrein Network – BISI Visiting Scholarship at the London School of Economics Middle East Centre (LSE-MEC) for his research project, The Work and Heritage of the Jews of Koya (1918-1951). His research focuses on reviving the historical trades and cultural heritage of the Jewish community in Koya, including traditional occupations such as carpentry, jewelry making, tailoring, dyeing, and clothing design.

As part of his scholarship, Dr. Bzhar is utilizing archives from The National Archives and the British Library, which hold significant records on the Jewish community of Koya and Iraq. His initiative aims to create a digitized collection of archival records, preserving and shedding light on the rich history of Koya and its Jewish heritage.

On Thursday, February 27, 2025, Dr. Bzhar delivered a presentation at LSE-MEC on his latest research topic, The Economic Life of Jews in Koya (1918-1951). The seminar was attended by scholars from various universities and academic institutions, including the Dean and Deputy Dean of LSE-MEC, researchers, counselors, and members of the British Institute for the Study of Iraq (BISI). Notable attendees included Prof. Dr. Erica Hunter, Dr. Noorah Al Gailani, and Joan Porter MacIver.

Dr. Bzhar began his presentation by introducing himself as a Nahrein Network – BISI Visiting Scholar and providing an overview of his home institution, Soran University. He then shared updates and outcomes from his latest research. The findings from this project will soon be published in two articles, offering unprecedented insights into the economic life and Jewish heritage of Koya from 1918 to 1951.

Through this scholarship, Dr. Bzhar’s work is not only uncovering a largely overlooked aspect of Iraq’s diverse cultural past but also ensuring that the heritage of Koya’s Jewish community is preserved for future generations.

The Nahrein Network and the Ministry of Higher Education in Iraq sign an MoU

By Zainab, on 4 February 2025

Professor Eleanor Robson, Director of the Nahrein Network, signs an MoU with the Ministry of Higher Education.

On 16 January 2025, the Nahrein Network and the Ministry of Higher Education, in the presence of the Prime Minister of Iraq, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The event was held in London, which coincided with an Iraqi government delegation visit to the United Kingdom. The MoU covers the organisation of research grants, scholarships and support to Iraqi universities in the fields that the Nahrein Network focuses on. 

In addition to the Nahrein Network, the Ministry of Higher Education signed 12 MoUs with universities in the United Kingdom, some of which were for specific research programmes. The majority of those agreements were however for paving the way for the Iraqi Government’s initiative to fund 5,000 masters and PhD scholarships, many of which will be at universities in the United Kingdom. 

After the ceremony was completed, a workshop was organized by the British Council, which is spearheading the ‘Academic Bridge Programme’, an initiative to strengthen research and knowledge exchange between UK and Iraqi universities. The Academic Bridge Programme is about upgrading Iraq’s intellectual and technical capacities across all sectors and fields and is designed with a view to harnessing higher education opportunities and to support upskilling Iraq’s universities to better address the country’s challenges. 

Bab Baghdad: A Gateway to Culture, History, and Heritage

By Zainab, on 23 October 2024

Written by Talib Issa

The center’s courtyard is located along the banks of the Tigris River.

Given the significance of this project, the Nahrein Network at UCL has aimed to make a meaningful contribution to the lives of Baghdad residents through an interactive research initiative. The project, carried out by the Peta Cultural Services and the Baghdad Cultural Center, involves researching the building’s history for the first time by exploring the Ottoman archives and relevant Iraqi institutions. Additionally, the project includes developing an interactive guide, a first-of-its-kind effort in Iraq.

The media team continued their diligent work in creating and producing reports that will be displayed on special screens at the Baghdad Cultural Center. They completed the first video, which features a beautiful presentation about Baghdad’s libraries and their esteemed scholars, along with a delightful and distinctive collection of photographs.

Baghdad Cultural Centre Team Meeting

The survey team prepared several survey models for the center’s staff, attendees, cultural organizers, and event hosts, which contained information that will be utilized for the first time in evaluating and reconsidering the administrative and cultural work at the center.

Additionally, the designated wing for the project at the center has been completed and equipped with all necessary supplies for use in periodic meetings for various teams, as well as for the storage of the project’s extensive archive, which has started to grow gradually over time.

The team’s trip to Turkey marks a significant step forward for both Baghdadi and Iraqi research. By looking from “Baghdad of Peace” to “Istanbul of Books,” the team created a cultural bridge between Iraq and Turkey’s intellectual communities. During the visit, the team obtained valuable photographic archives from the Presidency of Istanbul University and the rare books library. They uncovered around 3,600 documents related to the Rashidi Military School and Ottoman education in Iraq, written in ancient Ottoman script and dating back over 130 years. The Bab Baghdad project was the first to access and review these documents, which will continue to be studied for years to come.

Documents collected from team’s trip to Turkey

Additionally, we acquired from the private museum of the Turkish Ministry of Defence documents pertaining to the Rashidi Military School and everything related to the building from 100 years ago, which are considered the most important and oldest records in the center’s history. These included signatures from the director of the military school, Ali Saib Effendi, and names of teachers from that time.

In the war museum under the Turkish Ministry of Defense, we found the names of the Rashidi Military and preparatory schools in Baghdad displayed on informational posters, illustrating the administrative level of the military school and its connection to the military academy.

The Digital Heritage Internship Program: From Idea to Impact

By Zainab, on 16 July 2024

In this blog, Dr. Rozhen Mohammed-Amin, Co-Director of the Nahrein Network, discusses the Cultural Heritage Organisation’s (CHO) new initiative: the Digital Heritage Internship Program (DHIP).

Follow CHO on X: @Cho_Kurdish

In 2016, my post-PhD academic plans hit the walls of a (largely) disconnected higher education system in Iraq and its Kurdistan Region. Bringing students from different disciplines and departments to think together and deliver interdisciplinary digital heritage projects proved much more difficult than I had anticipated and prepared for. The stubborn silo and teaching-intense higher education system also brought teaching overload for students and faculty members’ competition for those teaching hours. Add to these a debilitating economic crisis in the Kurdistan Region that resulted in an up to 75% reduction in the salaries and (therefore) reduced working hours of public servants, including academics in public universities. These and other factors left the departments with no time, space, and (for most) motivation to explore new teaching and learning approaches for their students. Outside of curriculums, the local higher education landscape, environment, and culture were/are not very receptive to new non-traditional approaches either. After all, in practice, interdisciplinary research papers involving academics from different disciplines are not approved for academic promotion purposes. So, justifying interdisciplinary projects for undergraduate credits in different departments within such a silo system was/is a very difficult task.

My Nahrein Network Co-Investigator fund empowered me and my team to try transformative teaching and interdisciplinary learning approaches through our new Digital Heritage Internship Program (DHIP). The program brings together and trains local youth (mainly graduates) from different disciplines to conceptualize, design, develop, promote, and fundraise for innovative digital heritage projects. They do so using state-of-the-art technologies like Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR). DHIP aims to connect heritage protection and promotion with local and global needs and challenges for the sustainable development of the Kurdistan Region and Iraq’s heritage. The program also equips local youth with 21st-century digital knowledge, skills, and networks for expanding the creative industry in the Kurdistan Region and the rest of Iraq for making cultural, social, environmental, or economic impacts. Through this program, we strive to practically embody “think globally, act locally” in our digital heritage Research and Developments.

In its first pilot year (2023-2024), we brought together and trained 15 graduates (10 women and 5 men) in Sulaimani city from a total of 12 disciplines within Engineering, Design, Social Science, Arts, and Humanities, and IT. Having more women in the program was one of our objectives for addressing the vast digital literacy gap between men and women in Iraq[1]. In the first six months of the program, we delivered a total of 120 hours of structured training sessions (in-person or online), accompanied by work sessions as well as in-person and remote consultations in team or individually. We also integrated peer learning in some parts of the program. The gained knowledge and skills were applied in the team capstone projects, assigned by our team from the Cultural Heritage Organization (CHO) and the Kurdistan Institution for Strategic Studies and Scientific Research (KISSR).

[1] https://iraqtech.io/digital-illiteracy-isolating-iraqi-women-from-the-outside-world/

Our CHO-KISSR team and international and local collaborators provided extensive in-person and online training in DHIP. Learning from esteemed and supportive international and non-Kurdish speaking trainers like Mary Matheson (Arizona State University), Dr. Akrivi Katifori (Athena Research Center), and David V. Madrid (Historic Environment Scotland) was truly rewarding for our interns and for building their confidence at an international level. To encourage role modeling, we targeted more women trainers. The interns received theoretical and hands-on training in a wide range of topics they take to imagine and develop for the interdisciplinary and multi-dimensional world of AR and VR-based heritage experiences. The training ranged from independent learning to AR and VR experience assessment and everything in between, Design thinking, AR and VR experience design for heritage, historical research methods, immersive storytelling, story writing, storyboard development, team building and working, photography, photogrammetry, drone use,  360 tours, UX/UI design, crowdsourcing in heritage, participatory design, design for participation, AR and VR  development in Unity Game Engine, communication, community engagement, marketing, proposal writing, and fundraising.

Capstone Projects

By design, DHIP training and learning is project-based. Such training is intended to not only enhance and consolidate the program’s learning outcomes but also to build the interns’ portfolio in the utilization of promising AR and VR technologies in the field of heritage and beyond. Our CHO-KISSR team has foreseen the local need for investing in AR and VR knowledge and skills even before the recent labor market survey, led by KRG’s Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research and its partner universities, IREX, and the US Embassy/Baghdad. We identified the main themes of the assigned capstone projects based on a local need or requests of local stakeholders, who were excited or inspired by our past Talk to Sarai[1], Virtual Sarai, and Feel Like Me digital heritage projects. We also connected the project themes to global and local challenges and needs such as climate change and women empowerment.

In a span of 10 months and with the four-team capstones, the interns managed to greatly impress those who supervised, heard about, or experienced their projects! The depth and breadth of their activated imagination in the digital heritage field, creative thinking, and synthesizing have shocked our team, collaborators, and even international trainers like Mary Matheson.

[1] https://www.ucl.ac.uk/nahrein/news/2021/nov/talk-sarai-telling-stories-digitally

The Historical Empathy

Learning from Our Past Thinker VR Project guides users through the life, stories, memories, writings, and wisdom of Piramerd, a celebrated local poet, writer, and founder of the influential Zheen printing house and newspaper. Through a blend of visual and aural immersion, the VR experience aims to evoke empathy in users by allowing them to connect with the poet’s lived experiences and legacies, focusing on his dedication to education, ethical journalism, cultural advocacy, and public service.The project fosters an appreciation for heritage and historical understanding that can bridge the knowledge and emotional gap between past and present generations.

The Climate Heritage

Bridging Art, Culture, and Heritage for Protecting Environment VR Project combines the power of heritage, technology, and storytelling to immerse users in the sights and stories of the escalating pollution and environmental crisis of the Tanjaro River, near Sulaimani City in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. By immersing users in the perspectives of a local fisherman, an eagle, and a fish, the experience shows and tells about the massive pollution occurring in Tanjaro. The project aims to raise users’ awareness about the largely overlooked but fatal environmental crisis around them and to inspire sustainable actions.

The Historical Evolution of Cities

How Industrial Change is Changing our Life AR Project showcases the economic, social, and cultural influences of Sulaimani City’s first factory, the former Cigarette Factory (renamed as the Culture Factory). By integrating location-based storytelling with witness testimonies, the interactive tour engages users with the factory’s transformative impact on the city and its people. It also unveils unheard-of or little-heard stories and encourages reflections on how industrial rise and fall can create and transform a vibrant economic and social centre into an abandoned ghost complex, and how such neglected spaces can be repurposed into a creative hub.

The Narrative Spaces

When Storytelling Meets Design, the AR Project enriches the physical spaces of Hotel Farah (renamed to Kurd’s Heritage Museum), the oldest hotel in Sulaimani City and a current museum, by adding narrations through a statue and displayed collections. Through a mix of captivating stories from historical figures and fictional characters, the mobile AR tour unfolds the stories and significance of the building, related people, and its current collections. This interactive journey through time and space heightens users’ engagement with the museum space, drawing their attention to its diverse components, contents, and stories. The project aims to enrich visitors’ experiences with and perceptions of heritage places.

In designing and developing each of these capstone projects, the interns worked closely with diverse experts and local stakeholders. This close engagement and co-creation exposed the interns to real-world challenges and problem-solving related to (among others) finding scarce archival resources, handling diverse (and sometimes competing) interests and requests, and balancing ambitions with resource and technical capabilities. The project-based nature of DHIP proved to be the “glue” for holding the interns together and to the programme as they were navigating the many challenges of the underdeveloped infrastructure of AR and VR developments in the Kurdistan Region and the rest of Iraq. Our planned post-DHIP promotion of the projects through the local stakeholders and interns themselves promises to further deepen the interns’ interest, and sense of ownership for the promotion and expansion of the projects, and local heritage.

Beyond Expectations

As we embark on the formal and in-depth evaluation of our pilot internship, some interactions and outputs are worth celebrating. First, the high retention and attendance rate of the interns in the program came as a surprise, even to our best-case scenario and most positive team member! Warned by the experience of other training and internship programs and refusing to adopt the penalty measures some of these programs had to take to protect against high dropouts (even in the case of paid internships), we expected to retain only one team of four in our non-paid internship by the end of the originally estimated four months of our program’s life span. Yet, even after extending the structured training for another two months and the whole program for a total of 10 months for completing and testing the scaled-up capstones, we retained all the interns. Only two interns were absent slightly below our high threshold of 90% of attendance. Some of the interns had zero or close to zero absences.

Beyond numbers, the scaling up of the capstone projects by the interns and the enthusiasm the four teams showed for their projects speak volumes about the overall high engagement of the interns with the program and increased interest in digital heritage. This happened despite the fact that the majority of them had not heard about AR or VR before the internship and only a few of them initially showed interest in heritage.

The co-creation nature of our interns’ digital heritage projects proved (at least from our perspective) highly effective for engaging these young interns with heritage promotion and protection and raising their heritage awareness to a degree that even we, the organizers, did not imagine when we planned the program. The content and stories they found and the connections and reflections they made were truly impressive and inspiring. It is also fair to say that the interns helped to achieve one of the main overarching goals of DHIP, establishing a digital heritage network. Although we have yet to publicize the projects in a closing ceremony, we have been approached by excited local community members and media to try and feature our interns’ projects.

A Demanding Ride

Running the program was anything but smooth. Disruptive thinking and working is never easy anywhere, let alone in Iraq. We experienced and had to solve/balance many logistical and technical challenges. One of the challenges has been the scattered state of local heritage collections, resources, and even knowledge. Balancing the needs and competing interests of stakeholders was another challenge. As it turned out, flying a permitted drone (needed by one of the groups for 360 tours) in a post-conflict country like Iraq is far more complicated and team and paperwork-consuming than what we had prepared for.

Managing our interns’ growing expectations was another key challenge to solve. As an ambitious educator and an immensely curious scholar in digital heritage, I was finding it really hard to limit the interns’ growing ambitions in the face of time, resource, and expertise limitations. Then there were challenges related to team dynamics and equitable contribution among the interns.

Also, from the early stage of applying, we experienced an imbalance in recruiting interns based on the four targeted main disciplines and subdisciplines. We could not find or attract any intern with basic skills in the technical development of AR and VR. Although our interns’ feedback and incoming requests point to our limited promotion of DHIP and passive recruitment strategy, limited local skills in computer programming, software development, and/or Game Engine use are reported/observed by many others. In fact, our own team’s software developer had to self-taught himself about AR and VR development due to a lack of such training in and outside his university program. Add to these, the very limited infrastructure and external local expertise in the technically demanding and fast-growing world of AR and VR developments. As a result, the recruitment imbalance extended to the teamwork and the workload of our CHO-KISSR developer. Although the technical development (understandably) was not picked up by almost all of these non-technical interns, the program created a good pathway for increasing the motivation of our existing interns and others. We managed to increase local appreciation and understanding of what it takes to (for example) open a virtual book from the right (not left) side and why local culture, language, and perspective matter in creating or blending virtual and physical worlds.

Internally, our CHO-KISSR team also experienced an imbalance when two key team members started their postgraduate studies in the early months of the internship. So, other team members periodically stepped in to cover for them to ensure the quality and depth of DHIP. Periodic covering for each other and work catch-up is a supportive team culture that we are proud of because it has been making our largely women team accommodating and accessible to mothers, students, and others with proven long-term commitment and dedication but periodically require flexibility.

I should also mention that since the start of the first lecture of the program and referrals, we have been receiving calls, emails, messages, and even visits from local students and graduates inquiring about the start date of a new round of DHIP and expressing interesting in registering in our program.

The “Shoulders of the Giants”

The planning and implementation of DHIP stood on the shoulders and insights of several giants that I would like to acknowledge. The root of DHIP and its inspirations dates back to my life-changing postgraduate studies at the University of Calgary in Canada and my transformative experience as an intern at the Human Interface Technology Lab of New Zealand or HITLabNZ (based at the University of Canterbury). At the University of Calgary, Prof. Richard Levy, Prof. Tang Lee, Dr. Jeffrey Boyd (my supervisors), Prof. Branko Kolarevic, and Prof. Sebastian von Mammen have inspired and guided me in connecting heritage with digital technology. These have been two areas of my intellectual curiosity and activating imagination since my childhood, and all the way to my postgraduate education and ongoing scholarly pursuits. My postgraduate exposure and interest was further consolidated by my experience at HITLabNZ. The inspiring nature, culture, and environment of this leading AR and VR research lab profoundly increased my appreciation for positive and supportive research and education environments and networks. HITLabNZ and its then-director Prof. Mark Billinghurst have deeply embodied the lab’s people-centered approach to finding technology-based solutions and inventions. The very idea and conception of DHIP was inspired by the “Virtual Intern Program” from Mark’s current Empathic Computing Laboratory (based at the University of South Australia) and informed by local and international consultations and need assessment. The consultation of Gabo Arora from Johns Hopkins University and his colleagues from LightShed (Barry Pousman and David Samuels) helped with setting up the pillars of the program. The critical insights of Prof. Eleanor Robson (Nahrein Network’s director) and the support and informed feedback of Abdullah Bashir (a Senior Business Advisor and a former member of 51 Labs) and some of his colleagues provided timely guidance for minimizing the program’s blind spots. In the logistical planning of the program, we also received feedback and support from Mustafa K. Ali and Ravin Rizgar (from Suli Innovation House), and Dr. Khabat Marouf and Dr. Vian M. Faraj (from Culture Factory). During the implementation, the program also received generous support from Dr.  Lyn Wilson and her colleagues at the Historic Environment Scotland and many supportive local collaborators from organizations such as Zheen Center, Waterkeepers Iraq, KISSR, Kurd’s Heritage Museum (Hotel Farah), Culture Factory, Slemani Directorate of Antiquities and Heritage, Jamal Nabaz Museum, Anwar Sheikha Medical City, and beyond.

The Unknown Soldiers

I cannot write about DHIP without expressing my deep appreciation and gratitude for the dedicated CHO-KISSR team members who worked on running the program, with Khelan S. Rashid and Khazan F. Salih at the forefront, followed by Karo K. Rasool, Tabin L. Raouf, Khanda S. Majeed, Alan K. Sharif, Shajwan H. Abdalla, Davin D. Ahmed, and Bestun O. Amin. In addition to the giants, the demanding implementation of this program would not have been possible without the extra mile and immense care of these unknown soldiers. I would also like to thank the other CHO-KISSR team members (Roza A. Radha and Gulala A. Aziz) and our volunteer (Niyan H. Ibrahim) who indirectly and through their work for the CHO-KISSR team contributed to the program.

Dark Heritage

By Zainab, on 19 June 2024

We talk to Dr Salah Al-Jabri, Professor of Philosophy, University of Baghdad. Dr Salah Al-Jabr held a Nahrein – BISI Visiting Scholarship at UCL. Dr Salah Al-Jabri’s project is titled Dark Heritage and is under the supervision of Dr. Beverly Butler.

Tell us a little about yourself.

I am Salah Al-Jabri, Professor of Philosophy in the Department of Philosophy, College of Arts of University of Baghdad, the holder of the UNESCO Chair for Genocide Prevention Studies in the Islamic World, and the former Dean of the College of Arts of University of Baghdad. My interest in the topic of genocide, atrocities and crimes against humanity arose from the suffering and pain that my own family suffered during dictatorship due to the oppressive practices, physical liquidation, and deliberate destruction of their property by the totalitarian Baathist regime in Iraq before 2003.

The security services of Saddam Hussein’s regime killed two of my brothers arrested my parents and sisters, and demolished and burned our house. From these tragedies my interest in turbulent heritage arose, especially genocide, places of pain, and the memory of pain. This interest was embodied in attempts to explain what has happened, preserve the memory of pain, measure the extent of the damage and suffering to which my family and thousands of other Iraqi families were exposed, and the extent to which transitional justice and reparation were achieved. Then the idea of documenting and preserving these crimes developed through blogging, museum exhibition, technological displays, and others. Through my personal effort, determination, and perseverance, University of Baghdad obtained the UNESCO Chair for Genocide Prevention Studies, and I was chosen to chair it and to implement its programs.

Dr Salah in front of the Wilkins Building

Tell us more about your project.

Difficult Heritage is a concept which is synonymous to heritage that hurts, heritage of atrocity and places of pain or shame. Difficult heritage sites are places and institutions “that stand as legacy to painful periods in history, massacre and genocide sites, places related to former penal institutions, prisoners of war, battle fields and many more.” Difficult heritage site management is a structured activity which supports a meaningful and holistic experience for visitors within the context of diverse and complex services scopes. The aim of this study is to increase the understanding of how difficult heritage of the past is expressed within museum management in UK and apply it in Iraq.

In this research project, I aim looking to examine models and best practices in developing collections for and displaying difficult heritage (especially genocide) in the UK to convey to Iraq. This involves field visiting and analyzing War and Holocaust Museums and Centers and Institutions on Genocide Studies and talking to UK experts on best practices for developing collections and curating exhibitions involving difficult heritage and genocide. In the second part of my research, I will analyze and contextualize those strategies and ways for developing genocide collections and curating genocide exhibitions in Iraq.

This study has been supported by important Iraqi institutions: the State Board of Archeology and Heritage, the Directorate of Mass Graves in the Iraqi Martyrs Foundation. They have recognized the need to establish museums for the difficult heritage in southern and northern Iraq to preserve the Iraqi memory in the marshes, Kurdistan and cemeteries and all kinds of difficult heritage, whether pre or post ISIS.

Prof Salah with Prof Eleanor Robson at UCL

What was your Visiting Scholarship experience?

The project of documenting and displaying difficult heritage in Iraq is one of my current jobs, which I am studying and developing by studying important international models, especially models of war museums, difficult heritage, science and art museums in UK. In this context, the research fellowship project was kindly funded by the Nahrein Network, an institution that has served Iraqi heritage, history, and culture for years.

This visiting scholarship opened the gates of London and Oxford, which were closed to me before. I visited London museums such as the Imperial War Museum, the British Museum and the Art Museum. I also visited the city of Oxford, its university and its museums such as the Science Museum, the Oxford University Museum, and other heritage places. I benefited greatly from this fellowship in reformulating and enhancing my ideas, in addition to being acquainted with methods of documenting difficult heritage through museum display, photography, video, audio recording, as well as the use of advanced display technology.

What are your future plans now that you are back in Iraq?

I am currently completing and developing my research, benefiting from my visits to University College London and the University of Oxford, and from my visits to museums in London and Oxford. I will employ the amount of research sources I collected from the University College London Library, and other libraries in London and Oxford, to develop the theoretical structure of the research, achieve the research hypotheses, enrich its results, and provide hypotheses for other new research. I will also use the information I obtained from my visits to museums in London and Oxford to develop the practical dimension of the research, especially related to museum display methods, display technology, and the use of sound and artistic effects to reconstruct a poignant memory of past events, such as those photographs used in the Imperial War Museum in London.

The books and research I obtained from the University College London library helped me to develop my research, plan other research, and design workshops on difficult heritage to be held in the College of Arts and in other Iraqi universities. There are other work projects that I am looking to launch, such as a project of documenting the difficult heritage of the marshes in southern Iraq. I was also inspired by my visit to University College London and the London museums and libraries, the idea of holding an international conference under the title: Painful Memory in Iraq and the Islamic World. I actually presented the idea of the conference to the university and received approval, and the conference will be held next November.

Prof Salah Al-Jabri, Prof Beverly Butler and Dr Mehiyar Kathem at UCL

Iraq Museum Marketing

By Zainab, on 23 May 2024

We talk to Nawar Ihsan, Antiquities Restorer at The Iraq Museum. Nawar held a Nahrein – BISI Visiting Scholarship at The British Museum with Dr Paul Collins.

Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Nawar Ihsan. I come from a family interested in heritage and art. My grandfather was a sculptor and had turned his house into a museum. I have been working in the field of Iraqi heritage for more than twelve years. I worked as director of the Iraqi Fashion Museum. I also designed historical and heritage costumes and had artistic works such as paintings from Iraqi heritage. I moved to work in the Iraqi Museum, where I was the artistic director for the museum halls, and then my final stop was the restoration and maintenance of antiquities. My learning was at the hands of Italian experts, and I gained experience through my work practice.

I also have many projects in the field, where I carried out technical maintenance for the most important monuments displayed in the Iraq Museum, such as winged bulls, Assyrian murals, the wall of the Temple of Uruk, Sumerian urns, and many others. Also, on a more comprehensive level, I carried out artistic maintenance. The entire museum collection is in the Basra Cultural Museum, which contains complementary parts, as well as the Maysan Museum, and work is underway on the Mosul Museum collection. I also worked as a project coordinator between the SBAH and heritage organisations such as the Safina Projects. I have held several workshops and training courses to develop the skills of museum workers, some of which were in cooperation with the Italian Embassy at the Italian Center in Baghdad in addition to the Basra Cultural Museum as the opening of the maintenance laboratory, and others in the ancient city of Babylon with the establishment of a workshop near the Lion of Babylon.

Nawar Ihsan at The British Museum

Tell us more about your project.

My project on museums in general and the Iraqi Museum in particular is titled: Iraq Museum Marketing through the Application of Sustainable Development Goals. My research aims to develop the reality of museums in Iraq in proportion to the significance of the civilisation they contain and to activate their social and educational role to achieve sustainability in heritage, learning, and cultural tourism. The research methodology was a comparison between the Iraqi Museum and museums in the United Kingdom to identify strengths and weaknesses. The research was hosted by Dr. Paul Collins, Keeper of the Middle East, in the British Museum. The research involved identifying the methods and policies followed by museums, such as the methods of display, lighting, designs, visitor movement, services provided by the museum, and its educational and social role. During my stay in the UK, I visited more than 26 museums in London and other cities, and also met with a number of department directors at the British Museum. This enabled me to form a broad and comprehensive impression of museum management in the UK.

How was your Visiting Scholarship experience in the UK?

The Nahrein Network and the British Institute for the Study of Iraq provided me with wonderful experiences, allowing me to benefit from the expertise of leading institutions. As the subject of the research revolves around museums, and the United Kingdom contains a large number of diverse museums, the opportunity to host me at the British Museum was an honour for me, as it is the museum that attracts most visitors. It is also a great opportunity to get to know experts and innovators and build knowledge in this field of work. It is certain that getting to know the cities and lifestyles in the United Kingdom had a beautiful impact on civilizational and cultural diversity.

Nawar Ihsan at UCL

What was the highlight of your trip?

I was able to achieve a lot within the short and quick visiting scholarship in London, including my lecture titled “Iraqi Heritage Between Recovery and Preservation” at UCL in collaboration with the Iraqi Embassy, attended by the Cultural Attaché and important figures from the Iraqi community in the UK. My presentation discussed the state of heritage in Iraq, its divisions, causes of loss, and how to protect it, while highlighting the role of the Iraqi Museum in preserving antiquities.

In addition, I had the great opportunity to attend a conference on social attraction in the city of Bristol, as its topic is considered an important part of the research that I am conducting. Another highlight was my trip to Oxford, hosted by Dr. Paul Collins, to see the Ashmolean Museum, which is considered the world’s first university museum and was distinguished by modern display methods and a great collection in the Mesopotamian Civilization section. I also visited Cambridge and experienced the Fitzwilliam Museum.

How will your scholarship help you with your research?

Travelling enables us to acquire and experience new cultures, let alone if it is specifically for conducting research in a country that is known for sustaining its culture and history. Through this scholarship, I was able to conduct field visits to several museums in London and other cities in the UK, which definitely helped me expand my knowledge and skills in a wide area of museum management. Using historical buildings in museums while intertwining modern interior styles was fascinating, and I hope to incorporate these contemporary methods into my research and my work back in Iraq.

Through participant observation at different museums, I learned a lot about the methods of dealing with visitors, and I understood the importance of museum layout and visitor movement within galleries. This is an extremely important matter for increasing visitor engagement and experience.