BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq is mourning the loss of a beloved archaeologist who helped rebuild her country's leading museum in the aftermath of the U.S. invasion in 2003.
Lamia al-Gailani, who died on Friday at the age of 80, was one of Iraq's first women to excavate the country's rich archaeological heritage.
Friends, colleagues, and cultural officials gathered at Baghdad's National Museum on Monday to pay their respects.
Al-Gailani specialized in the study of cylinder seals, engraved surfaces used to print cuneiform impressions and pictographic lore in ancient Assyrian and Babylonian culture.
After Iraq's National Museum was looted in 2003, Al-Gailani lent her expertise to identify stolen relics and select artefacts to display at its 2015 reopening.
She also championed a new antiquities museum for the city of Basra, which opened in 2016.
© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.