Today , Monday, the Heritage Department of the General Authority for Antiquities and Heritage issued an “important” notice regarding the news circulating on social media about the sale of heritage buildings and their exploitation to convert them into restaurants or hospitals .
The notice came in response to numerous inquiries about the legal position of the sale and purchase of these heritage properties .
The Director General of the Heritage Department at the Authority, Ayad Kazim, said, “Most of the heritage buildings in Baghdad and the governorates are owned by individuals (private properties), while others are owned by government institutions, such as the Baghdad Municipality, the Endowments Departments, and local governments, while the General Authority for Antiquities and Heritage owns very few of these buildings .”
He explained that these buildings are protected under the Antiquities and Heritage Law No. 55 of 2002, which allows the sale and purchase of heritage properties, provided that they are preserved, and prohibits their demolition or changing their heritage character, while stressing the need to employ them in a manner consistent with their heritage specificity .
The General Authority for Antiquities and Heritage called on all government agencies, cultural institutions, and partner bodies, especially the Baghdad Municipality as the body responsible for managing the land, to support its efforts to preserve these heritage buildings, as they are a cultural legacy that documents an important stage in Iraq’s cultural and social history .
