IV 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 113
Urging all governments involved in the military action against Iraq to work 
to take all reasonable measures to avoid damage to the cultural antiq-
uities in Iraq until hostilities have ceased. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 25, 2003
Mr. ENGLISH submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on International Relations 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Urging all governments involved in the military action 
against Iraq to work to take all reasonable measures 
to avoid damage to the cultural antiquities in Iraq until 
hostilities have ceased.
Whereas the United States has assembled and deployed an 
allied military coalition to apply pressure on the regime 
of Saddam Hussein in Iraq to comply with all relevant 
United Nations Security Council resolutions relating to 
Iraq; 
Whereas military operations often result in the destruction 
and permanent damage of irreplaceable cultural property; 
Whereas cultural property is defined by the 1954 Hague Con-
vention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the 
Event of Armed Conflict as ‘‘any moveable or immoveable
•HCON 113 IH 
property of great importance to the cultural heritage of 
all people, such as monuments of architecture or history, 
archaeological sites, works of art, books or any building 
whose main and effective purpose is to contain cultural 
property’’; 
Whereas the region of present day Iraq, located between the 
Tigris and Euphrates rivers, is known as the ‘‘Cradle of 
Civilization’’, the birthplace of varied societies that moved 
civilization from prehistory to history, and the native land 
of many Biblical and Koranic events; 
Whereas the cities and rural areas of Iraq are home to some 
of the oldest human settlements in the world as well as 
more than 10,000 identified archaeological sites of cul-
tural and historical importance and tens of thousands of 
other unexcavated sites; 
Whereas Iraq continues to serve as one of the prime centers 
of Islamic art and culture; 
Whereas in the 4th millennium B.C., long before the emer-
gence of Egyptian, Greek, or Roman culture, the Sume-
rian culture flourished in the region of present day Iraq, 
inventing the wheel, the first plow, the first ever sophisti-
cated irrigation system, the earliest form of writing (cu-
neiform), the first used calendar, and the first written al-
phabet; 
Whereas southern Iraq is home to the site of the ancient Su-
merian city of Uruk, known to many as the first true civ-
ilized city and home to the legendary King Gilgamesh 
who built the city’s famous great wall; 
Whereas the Iraqi city of Ur, which flourished in the 3rd mil-
lennium B.C., is known as the birthplace of Abraham and 
is said to be the possible location of the Garden of Eden;
•HCON 113 IH 
Whereas the city of Ur holds one of the world’s oldest and 
most important ziggurats, a high rising temple of sun-
baked brick with outside staircases leading to the shrine 
on top, partially excavated but yet to be completely un-
covered; 
Whereas the city of Ur is the location of one of the greatest 
archaeological finds of the 20th century, a cemetery in 
which ancient Sumerian royalty were buried along with 
their servants and extravagant treasures; 
Whereas near the city of Ur is the archaeological site of Tel 
Al-Ubaid, where ancient terra-cotta pottery and sculp-
tures dating back to 4,500 B.C. were unearthed; 
Whereas the Akkadian people briefly ruled the region of 
present day Iraq in the 2nd millennium B.C. and devel-
oped the capital city of Babylon which became the com-
mercial and cultural center of the Middle East for 2,000 
years; 
Whereas the city of Babylon, flourishing from approximately 
1700 to the 6th century B.C., was the center of oper-
ations for historical leaders such as Hammurabi, Nebu-
chadnezzar, and Alexander the Great; 
Whereas Babylon was home to the captive Israelites in the 
Biblical book of Exodus and the location of great archae-
ological finds including the Ishtar Gate, an enormous 
brick entryway into the ancient city, and tentatively 
named as the site for the Hanging Gardens, one of the 
Seven Wonders of the World, and the Biblically-ref-
erenced Tower of Babel; 
Whereas the site of Nippur, approximately 100 miles south 
of Babylon, has yielded a vast collection of pre-Islamic
•HCON 113 IH 
pottery and the oldest known record of a murder trial, 
chronicled on a clay tablet dating back to 1850 B.C.; 
Whereas in 762 B.C., the city of Baghdad, founded under the 
rule of Abo al Abbas, the first caliph of the Abbasid dy-
nasty, was the central commercial, cultural, philosophical, 
and intellectual capital of the world during the Middle 
Ages and was seen by many as the Islamic capital of the 
world during the 10th century; 
Whereas the city of Baghdad contains the Kadhimain mosque 
and shrine, many medieval buildings, including other 
tombs, mosques, minarets, and the 13th century 
Mustansiriya; 
Whereas located sixty miles east of Baghdad is the modern 
city of Samarra, the home to the famous Great Mosque, 
which among other things, is the tomb of Imam Ali and 
his son Husein, the founders of the Shiite branch of 
Islam; 
Whereas located in Iraq’s third largest city, Mosul, are the 
ruins of Nimrud, including a Great Mosque, dating from 
172 A.D., and an ancient leaning brick minaret, dating 
from 640 A.D.; 
Whereas near the city of Mosul is located the site of the an-
cient city of Nineveh, referenced by Biblical prophet 
Zephaniah and the site of the prophet Jonah’s sermons, 
including royal Assyrian palaces and more than 20,000 
cuneiform tablets from King Ashurbanipal’s library; 
Whereas the site of the ancient city of Hatra, located near 
Mosul, is known as the ‘‘City of the Sun’’ which holds 
many archaeological remains because it served as a trade 
and military route along the Tigris river;
•HCON 113 IH 
Whereas located at the site of the Parthian capital of 
Ctesiphon, 20 miles southeast of Baghdad, are the re-
mains of a gigantic vaulted hall, the Taq Kisra, which 
has one of the largest single-span brick arches in the 
world and was damaged by shock from explosions in the 
1991 Persian Gulf War; 
Whereas the modern city of Khorsabad stands on the ruins 
of an ancient city called Dur-Sharrukin, where among 
many other priceless treasures, fragments of a colossal 
human-headed winged bull was found; 
Whereas the Iraqi city of Assur holds great works of art from 
the royal Assyrian workshops of the 13th century B.C., 
residences of merchants from the 18th century B.C., and 
temples built before the 21st century B.C.; 
Whereas it should be recognized that the aforementioned 
Iraqi cities and archaeological sites comprises an exten-
sive list of endangered cultural antiquities, but the list is 
not a comprehensive list; 
Whereas it is understood that the success of a United States-
led military campaign will require military contingencies 
to consider all strategic options and compelling concerns 
in the formulation of operational plans; and 
Whereas Congress has expressed the support and apprecia-
tion of the Nation for the President and the members of 
the Armed Forces who are participating in ‘‘Operation 
Iraqi Freedom’’: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That, recognizing the paramount importance 
of accomplishing the goals of the United States and allied 
countries currently engaged in hostilities against Iraq and