The story of Samarra

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The Iraqi city of Samarra has a long and exciting history of excavation and exploration. This film focuses on the archaeological assets made by Ernst Herzfeld and Friedrich Sarre in the 19th century and the restoration work of modern day Iraqis and conservation of objects in the British Museum collection.

A selection of images and footage kindly provided by:
Alastair Northedge, Université de Paris 1 (Panthéon-Sorbonne)
Ali Khadr, The British Institute for the Study of Iraq
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
The Ernst Herzfeld papers. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
Judith Thomalsky, Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Tehran/Berlin
Stefan Weber, Museum für Islamiche Kunst, Berlin
K. A. C. Creswell and James W. Allan
Samarra University, Iraq
Iraqi State Board of Antiquities