Destruction by our troops (and others) to the ancient city of Babylon

This is very sad. Apparently the war in Iraq has caused substantial damage to the Ancient City of Babylon. Probably may other archaeological sites. We heard about the looting just after the invasion. The following is paraphrased from a couple of news articles including the one linked above and the LA Times and CommonDreams.org.

The U.S. troops as well as contractors in Iraq drove heavy machinery over ancient roadways, they bulldozed hilltops, leveled other areas, and dug trenches throughout the site. This is according to UNESCO. The have a PDF you can download, but I don't know how to link to it. Sorry.

UNESCO noted that the damage didn’t begin with the U.S. military and that archaeologists took away some of Babylon’s finest treasures in the 19th century. There were some significant modifications by Saddam Hussein when he embellished the site with his own structures. And after the US military gave the site back to the Iraqis, after March 2003, looters hit the site hard.

They are working to improve the city and restore the damage but the damage is fairly significant. The US (State Department) is going to spend $700,000 towards restoration. Also, an international group-- The Future of Babylon Project --is working toward making the site a World Heritage site. The Future of Babylon Project is a partnership of the World Monuments Fund, a New York-based nonprofit organization, and Iraq’s State Board of Antiquities and Heritage.

I hope they can fix it. It is a world treasure. Something I hope I will visit someday.