Dear members and supporters of the Nahrein Network,

After eight wonderful years, it is finally time to say farewell to the Nahrein Network, which shuts down on 31 August. Since I announced our closure in February, and paid tribute to everyone who has worked with us, we have been overwhelmed with messages of appreciation, as well as sadness. Our Padlet tribute wall is still open, if you wish to contribute your thoughts.

Meanwhile, we have been hard at work to wrap up the Network’s legacy.

• Most of our funded research projects have completed their work — see the list below — and last few will follow over the next few months.
  • The Organisation for the Victims of Camp Speicher, The Memorialisation of Troubled Pasts
  • Dr Sura Al-Maiyah and Prof. Hamed Samir, Climate Change, Old Basra Traditional Architecture
  • Prof. Dilshad Omar, The Impacts of the Displacement of Kirkuk Citadel’s Residents
  • Dr Mustafa Mehsen Aljubory, Minorities in Kirkuk
  • Dr Amal Fadhil Khangar and Sonia Ibrahim, Socio-Cultural Layers of Baghdad
  • Dr Hawraman Karim, How to Deal with Halabja Memorial Sites
• The Forgotten City of Kish project, which I lead with Nadia, launched a preliminary version of its English-Arabic website in July, with the final version coming by the end of September, and related academic publications due out in 2026 with Cambridge University Press.
• Mehiyar’s book on the politics of social heritage in Iraq is under contract with Bloomsbury Academic, and should also be out next year.
• The final cohort of six Visiting Scholars will be arriving in the UK this autumn, supported, as ever, by our wonderful partners at The British Institute for the Study of Iraq. (I’ll say more about BISI below.)
• Our third and final sponsored graduate student at UCL also arrives in London in September to start his MSc in Sustainable Cultural Heritage. We wish all three of our UCL graduate students every success this coming academic year..
• We held a very moving Farewell Conference in Baghdad, back in April, and celebrated the completion of the AcademIQ research capacity building programme, led by Mehiyar, with a capstone webinar, Reflections and Perspectives: Strengthening Iraqi Higher Education Research  
• We conducted a thorough impact evaluation of the Network, including a Knowledge Sharing Webinar, which resulted in the release of our final Impact Evaluation Report. This report outlines our key accomplishments over the past eight years, evaluates the reasons for our relative successes and failures, showcases impactful case studies, and provides recommendations for funders, government agencies, and other partners interested in delivering similar initiatives.
• This report is hosted on our legacy website https://www.nahreinnetwork.org, together with many other resources, including a list of alternative funding sources. Our blog and social media accounts will remain open, but inactive. Our UCL email address will no longer be monitored. 
• Finally, I’m delighted to say that BISI has recently relaunched the Visiting Scholarships scheme — which they created in 2004 — with an annual application deadline of 1 December. Please encourage good folks to apply!

Over the coming months and years, I look forward to learning about the successes and achievements of the many Network members I have grown to admire and love over the past eight years, through our shared commitment to Iraq’s heritage and its future. I have learned so much from you all, in so many ways, and the spirit of the Nahrein Network will remain with me forever — as I hope it will for you too.

With my very warmest wishes, as always, 

Eleanor

—

Professor Eleanor Robson, FBA, Director of the Nahrein Network, 2017-25

This post first appeared on our UCL website in February 2025. It has been lightly edited with updated links to our new website.

Dear friends and supporters of the Nahrein Network,

A few months ago, I made the difficult decision to start winding down the Nahrein Network between now and August 2025. By the time we close, we will have been in operation for an incredible eight years! In that time we have:

• Supported 30 locally-led research projects on the sustainable development of cultural heritage in Iraq and its neighbours

• Collaborated with the British Institute for the Study of Iraq and other partners to host 34 short-term Visiting Scholarships to the UK

• Trained 196 Iraqi researchers through the British Academy Writing Workshops and the AcademIQ programme

• Fully funded three graduate studentships at UCL

• Conducted our own research on digital approaches to Iraqi cultural heritage and ancient Middle Eastern languages, the colonial history of archaeology in Iraq, the role of museums, and the politics of post-conflict heritage

• Provided policy advice and briefings for partners in Iraq, the UK, and far beyond

• Disseminated our events, activities and findings through webinars, colloquia, podcasts, social media, newsletters, policy reports and academic publications

To make all this happen, we have worked with many amazing people and made many wonderful friends. Back in 2016–17, Professor Paul Collins, Dr Saad Eskander, Ms Louise Haxthausen, and Dr Moudhy Al-Rashid worked with me on the original project design and grant applications. Co-directors since then have included Dr Anwar Anaid, Professor Paul Collins, Dr Saad Eskander, Dr Jaafar Jotheri, and Dr Rozhen Mohammed-Amin. Staff members in London and Iraq have included Dr Nadia Aït-Saïd Ghanem, Mrs Oana Borlea-Stancioi, Dr Parsa Daneshmand, Dr Misha Enayat, Ms Rahma Ismail, Dr Mehiyar Kathem, Mrs Zainab Mahdi, and Dr Amani Suleiman. We have relied on many wise Management Committee members, a brilliant team of trainers for AcademIQ, and the time and enthusiasm of several student interns. We have benefitted from strong partnerships with ministries and embassies, NGOs and cultural organisations, and many, many universities across the UK, Iraq and beyond. And behind the scenes, multiple people in research support departments across UCL have facilitated programming, payments, contracts, and travel for us. There are far too many people to list here, but you know who you are, and I hope you know how grateful I am for your unfailing support and enthusiasm.

The Network was originally funded in 2017–21 by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), by means of a Global Challenges Research Fund Network Plus grant (AH/R005370/1) and a wonderful group of research officers. Since then, we have been the beneficiaries of an astonishingly generous philanthropic gift from a steadfast donor. Reflecting on our achievements, they write:

The Nahrein Network’s work has been incredible and in so many ways, groundbreaking. It has managed to marry research, community building, skills building, educational infrastructure, heritage, and so many strands that needed to come together in places where that really matters. I will always be grateful to have been a small part of it, and grateful for the work the Network team has done and the lasting impact it has had. The Network more than delivered on a vision that really grew from the ground up, and that expanded upon to meet the changing landscape and totally unforeseen challenges. Thank you for everything.

I am beyond grateful to all the Network’s staff and partners, friends and supporters, all over the world. Together we have achieved far more than I ever dreamed of when the idea began to take shape back in 2016. But I won’t pretend that it has always been easy, and the relentless need to manage the complexity of the Network has finally started to take its toll on me this year. So it’s time to bring our wonderful adventure together to a gradual close.

Over the coming months, we’ll be running a series of events with stakeholders and supporters, to share successes and lessons learned, and publishing a final evaluation and report. Even once the Network is no longer active, an archival website will host documents and resources which I hope will remain useful for many years to come.

Yours truly,

Eleanor
—
Eleanor Robson, FBA, FRHistS
Professor of Ancient Middle Eastern History
Director of the Nahrein Network
University College London

We talk to Alaa Alameri, Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at the College of Arts at Mustansiriyah University. Alaa held a Nahrein – BISI Visiting Scholarship at Newcastle University. His project is titled Oral History in Iraq and is under the supervision of Professor Graham Smith.

Prof Alaa at Newcastle University

Tell us a little about yourself.

I am Alaa Al-Ameri, Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at the College of Arts, Mustansiriyah University, and a researcher specializing in modern and contemporary Japanese history, Japanese education, historical research methodologies, and the philosophy of history. I earned my PhD in 2014 from the University of Baghdad, with a dissertation on The Role of the Liberal Democratic Party in Japan’s Reconstruction (1955–1973). I have held research fellowships at the University of Tokyo (2012), Chiba University (2022), and Newcastle University (2025). 

I also held several academic and administrative positions, including serving multiple terms as Head of the History Department at the College of Arts, Mustansiriyah University. I was also the Rapporteur of the Committee for Updating History Curricula at the Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. Additionally and played a key role in coordinating and implementing academic agreements between Mustansiriyah University and Chiba University, Newcastle University, and the French Institute for the Near East. 

I participated in numerous international conferences and has published research in his areas of expertise. I have also contributed to organising international academic workshops, including the Iraqi-Japanese International Conference, now in its fifteenth edition, and a workshop on oral history and its integration into Iraqi academia, alongside conferences on national identity and modern historical methodologies. 

Beyond academia, I believe that scholars in the humanities should have practical laboratories to apply their ideas for the benefit of society. Based on this vision, I founded Al-Qiyam Private Schools in Baghdad in 2015, an educational initiative adopting Japan’s Tokkatsu system, which emphasises character building and life skills development. I see these schools as more than just an educational institution; they serve as a practical space for implementing his ideas on educational reform, bridging academic research with real-world application to drive sustainable change. 

I have received numerous awards and honours in recognition of my academic and educational contributions. I continue to develop educational and research projects that enhance the role of knowledge in shaping society. 

Tell us about your project. 

Mainstream academic historical studies have long relied almost exclusively on written documents, often sidelining or undervaluing oral narratives, which are typically viewed as unreliable or lacking objectivity. This approach becomes especially problematic in contexts marked by prolonged conflict and weak institutional documentation, as is the case in Iraq—a country that, for decades, has experienced wars, rapid political shifts, sanctions, civil unrest, terrorism, and a severe institutional vacuum in formal documentation and archival systems. As a result, significant gaps persist in the national historical record, with no comprehensive archive capturing the lived experiences of individuals and communities in real-time. 

In such settings, oral memory emerges as an indispensable source for understanding Iraq’s social, cultural, and political history, especially when it comes to marginalised groups: women, peasants, workers, ethnic and religious minorities, and victims of violence—many of whom remain excluded from official historical accounts. The absence of their voices threatens to erase vital layers of Iraq’s living history. 

This guide adopts a methodological vision that seeks to restore the value of oral history as a scientific tool for documenting collective memory and to bridge the gap between academia and society. It advocates for the integration of oral history into university institutions by developing a comprehensive academic curriculum, training researchers in oral history methods, and establishing oral archives that preserve Iraq’s diverse historical experience before it is lost to time or the passing of those who lived it. In doing so, the guide contributes to reconstructing national memory and promoting epistemic justice in the narration of Iraq’s contemporary history. 

How was your Visiting Scholarship experience in the UK? 

It was an essential and distinguished academic and scientific journey that significantly contributed to strengthening and developing the relationship between Mustansiriyah University and Newcastle University, resulting in the creation of a new educational curriculum and its introduction into the Iraqi academy for the first time. 

What were the main benefits of your scholarship? 

The preparation of an academic guide and curriculum to be adopted in history departments within Iraqi academia. In title (Oral History in Iraq: A Methodological and Practical Guide for Academic Research and University Training).

What was the main highlight of your scholarship? 

It was exceptional and fruitful in every aspect, particularly in terms of the academic experience I gained from a prestigious university, which I will certainly carry forward to my current university. 

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

A robust spirit of support and scientific collaboration from colleagues, combined with the development of a global research approach. I have gained enough experience to employ the oral history method in academic research and to train students in applying this new research approach. 

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

The fellowship plays a crucial role in enhancing research and historical writing techniques in Iraq, benefiting individuals and leading to the creation of a guide for academic research in oral history for the entire Iraqi academic community. 

What will you do to continue your research in Iraq? 

The subject has been introduced as a course for master’s students and will be offered as a joint programme between Al-Mustansiriyah University and Newcastle University. It has also been included as a topic within the historical research methodology curriculum for undergraduate students. Furthermore, an international symposium on the subject will be held on 16 October at Newcastle University.