The scientific, cultural and services landmarks have always been subjected to demolition and neglect. Hussein Yasiri, the head of the Karbala Department of Antiquities, in a press statement, confirmed this in October 2016, saying, “Most of the archaeological sites in the city are wearing off.”
As a result of such negligence, some of the walls of Khan al-Utaishi crumbled on Aug. 16, 2016, while the rest is threatening to collapse.
Governmental and official parties also carry out transgressions on the city’s archaeological sites. In fact, the Karbala Department of Antiquities accused security forces in December 2016 of ongoing infringements on the Fortress of al-Ukhaidir archaeological site by establishing a military camp on the premises.
In addition to neglect, there is a lack of awareness of the importance of heritage and there have been many attempts to steal artifacts, as was the case on Jan. 22 when smugglers tried to steal several relics, namely a Jewish manuscript.
According to Sandas al-Tarihi, a member of the Karbala provincial council who spoke to Al-Monitor, this neglect and lack of maintenance is the result of “the security chaos in Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003, compounding now the war on the Islamic State combined with the financial crisis, which caused a shortage in the funds necessary for archaeological protection and maintenance.”
She said, “The follow-up committee set up by the council will work on securing the financial and human resources and to collaborate with foreign experts in the field of exploration and archaeological maintenance as per UNESCO specifications, so as to ensure the inscription of the city on the World Heritage list."
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