A decade ago, in the chaos following the American invasion, museums across Iraq were emptied. In a matter of days, thousands of artifacts disappeared—even those in the vaults of the Central Bank. Some curators tried to resist, barring the doors, risking their lives. Employees at the National Museum, in a last-ditch attempt to safeguard the exhibits, hung a sign warning that the building was under the protection of Western armed forces. A desperate lie.
