Basra
The Basrah Museum is the city's museum of antiquities, housed in a former palace on the bank of the Shatt al-Arab about 3 km south-east of the old city. Its…
The Basrah Museum is the city's museum of antiquities, housed in a former palace on the bank of the Shatt al-Arab about 3 km south-east of the old city. Its first gallery opened in September 2016 and the museum opened fully in 2019, set up with the help of the Friends of Basrah Museum, the British Museum and Iraq's State Board of Antiquities and Heritage. The building has an Ottoman-inspired design with Basran shanashil balconies and a domed entrance hall. More than 2,500 objects are displayed in four galleries. The Basrah gallery is devoted to the city itself, with Islamic-period pottery, glass and a large collection of coins, while the Sumer, Babylon and Assyria galleries trace southern Mesopotamia from the Halaf culture and the Third Dynasty of Ur to the Kassite and Neo-Assyrian periods. A traditional reed guesthouse (mudhif) and a marsh boat stand in the grounds. The museum opens in the mornings from Sunday to Thursday, and there is a small entry charge.