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This project consists of two components. The first is documentation of historic and heritage buildings in the province, and particularly in al Hillah. The team focused on documenting historic and heritage buildings which are fast disappearing in such places as al Hillah, an essential part of Babylon’s identity and heritage. This includes a sample of Churches, Mosques, Synagogues, historic buildings, and schools, etc. These structures have faced neglect, demolition, and changes to the extent now that it is a priority to document the sites and their history, especially through local narratives. As known, al Hillah was built from Babylon’s materials, and it has become vital this aspect of the culture’s significant history be explored.
The second component was to document and research local society’s relationship to heritage, focusing on villages and towns adjacent to the main Babylonian sites. Such villages include Jumjamah, Sinjar, An’nah, and Barnoun. This second part of the project was also led by the Iraq team in Babil, explored and analyzed people’s relationship to Iraq’s pre-Islamic cultural heritage. Significantly, this component of the project explored the neglect of the villages and towns in Babil and the memories and relationships people have, including to foreign excavation teams and the long history of excavations in the province.
