The man on an archaeological mission

Qahtan al-Abeed is an archaeologist on a mission. Since 2005, he has worked tirelessly to preserve the archaeological heritage of southern Iraq. He has evicted squatters and businesses from ancient sites and deterred looters, putting himself at risk in the process.

The region is part of ancient Mesopotamia, one of the world’s earliest centres of civilisation.

It has bestowed some of humanity’s most important developments – including the invention of the wheel and the cuneiform script, one of the earliest written languages.

Al-Abeed’s work also brings him into contact with the energy world. Across southern Iraq lie some of the nation’s most important oil fields and installations, which help to make it the world’s fourth largest oil producer.

Part of his role is to work with operators, including Shell, to preserve ancient heritage areas across these sites. It is, he says, all part of his thirst for knowledge.

“This isn’t just for Basrah or Iraq. My work is for scholars everywhere,” says the 37-year-old director of Antiquities and Heritage for the southern province of Basrah. “This is the study of humanity. We have to better understand Mesopotamia and there’s a big gap in what we know.”

A new museum

On the bank of the Shatt al-Arab river sits al-Abeed’s most notable achievement. The Basrah Museum is a four-gallery project supported by the British Council and Friends of Basrah Museum, a UK-based charity.

He first conceived the idea of establishing the museum in 2007 and for it to be housed in a palace once occupied by the former ruler of Iraq, Saddam Hussein. After three years of lobbying, the Iraqi government gave their permission.

When it opens fully in 2019, it will house collections from the Sumerian, Babylonian and Assyrian periods that were discovered across the region. But al-Abeed had other ideas when the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) took over swathes of territory in northern Iraq in 2014.  

“We saw ISIS destroying Mosul’s museum, so I suggested we open one of the galleries early. It was our message to say that they can’t destroy one museum without another opening,” he says.

Archaeological mysteries

Another nearby project is the ancient city of Charax Spasinou, which was founded by Alexander the Great in around 300 BC. Spread over five square kilometres, it lies in one of the few areas in Iraq which had never previously been included in an archaeological survey.

Alongside the University of Manchester, al-Abeed was instrumental in identifying and surveying the site.

It is, he says, a dangerous place to work, because of the unexploded ammunition left over from the 1980s war between Iran and Iraq. As the operator of the nearby Majnoon oil field since 2010, Shell began a programme of systematically and safely clearing the unexploded remnants of war.

Aware of the area’s archaeological importance, before project works started Shell identified potential areas of interest and set up procedures to avoid or minimise disturbance to archaeological sites and recover artefacts and pottery fragments. Shell has since worked closely with al-Abeed and his department to protect the sites and transfer any finds to the museum.

“Oil companies were another worry. I was concerned about the impact of their activities,” says al-Abeed. “But sites inside oil field areas are generally better protected than those outside.”

Born in Basrah in 1980, al-Abeed’s passion for archaeology stems from a magazine about ancient civilisation that his father bought him when he was 12-years-old. His other interest was languages. When he went to university in Baghdad, he chose to study archaeology, with a focus on cuneiform writing.

“It was a natural choice. I loved antiquities and I wanted to learn about the development of language, how people in ancient times talked to each other.”

Difficult times

After graduating, al-Abeed returned to Basrah to work for the Department of Antiquities and Heritage in 2005. His first job was to regain possession of the departmental office which squatters had occupied during the unrest that followed the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. Tragedy followed when the director of antiquities, Mudhar Abd Alhay, was shot dead in the street.

Those early years were difficult, says al-Abeed. “When I arrived in 2005, there was no registry of heritage sites, no condition reports, no maps. We had to start from the beginning.”

Al-Abeed confronted looters and took on factories which had set up on archaeological sites. Despite the risks, he won court rulings which led to the eviction of more than a dozen companies.

Over time, security has improved across the region. Today, he supervises projects at Iraq’s key sites of Babylon, Ur and Uruk which lie outside Basrah province. Certified as a world heritage expert, he also looks after Iraq’s relationship with the United Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

“I don’t get to see my children much,” he concedes. “But I’m in a position to do something for my country and that is a great honour.”