The Basra Museum occupies a former palace of Saddam Hussein on the edge of the city, a setting that is itself a piece of recent Iraqi history. The building is extravagant by any measure — multiple floors of marble and glass on a lake — and serves now as a frame for collections covering Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian, and Islamic periods. The Mesopotamian holdings include clay tablets with cuneiform inscriptions, carved stone reliefs, bronze objects, and pottery from sites throughout southern Iraq. The Islamic section covers the region's history from the 7th century Arab conquest through the Ottoman period.
The museum reopened after the 2003 war and subsequent looting, though some items remain missing or unrecovered. The collections that remain are genuinely impressive and the building gives the experience a surreal grandeur. Opening hours are limited and can change — check with your hotel or a fixer before making the trip. Photography may require permission; ask at the entrance.