Iraq has re-opened its national museum in the
              capital, Baghdad, nearly ten years after it was
              closed to avoid damage at the start of the Gulf
              War.

              The museum houses one of the world's most
              important archaeological collections, consisting
              of more than ten thousand items from the
              ancient civilisations of Mesopotamia and
              elsewhere.

              These include a Neanderthal skeleton and the
              remains of a royal tomb from the biblical city of
              Ur.

              Opening the museum, the Iraqi Culture Minister
              , Humam Abdul Khaleq, said the world should
              compare this legacy of civilisation with what
              he called the uncivilised aggression against
              Iraq.

              A BBC correspondent says that, during the
              closure, some exhibits disappeared or were
              smuggled abroad.

              From the newsroom of the BBC World Service