W. Sommerfeld
(Universität Marburg, Germany)

The looting of the Iraq Museum in April 2003 and the ongoing large-scale robbery in many archaeological sites has caused an irretrievable destruction of the cultural heritage. The review of the events and facts is based on personal experience in Iraq before, during and after the last war.
The efforts of preservation are described as well.
keywords: looting, Iraq Museum, illegal excavations