The reopening ceremony was held on Saturday in the presence of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi after 12 years of efforts that culminated in restoring around a third of 15,000 stolen pieces.
“We have been preparing to reopen for the past couple of months, the museum should be open to everyone,” Deputy Tourism and Antiquities Minister Qais Hussein Rashid said.
The reopening came in the wake of the destruction of invaluable artifacts by the Takfiri ISIL terrorists in the northern city of Mosul.
The destruction of ancient artifacts in the militant-held city of Mosul is believed to be the worst cultural tragedy since the national museum was ransacked in the chaos that followed the US-led invasion of the country.
