The Reference
The ReferenceWe are not a “new museum”. We are the first and last reference for the architecture of Iraq, from the ziggurat of Ur to Zaha Hadid. Everything else is measured against us.
Iraq National Museum of Architecture · Baghdad
Architecture, the memory of place.
A journey through the architecture of Iraq, from an enduring monument to a renewed vision.
The Museum
The Iraq National Museum of Architecture is the first reference for the architecture of Iraq, from the Ziggurat of Ur to Zaha Hadid.
Seven thousand years of building, shown in model, drawing and record. Here, three hours to visit. A lifetime to comprehend.
What we stand on٧٠٠٠years of building
٢٢architectural eras
١٠landmarks in the collection
١٠pioneering builders
The Film
Stay tuned.
Stay tuned.The museum’s identity in motion: the Kufic form assembles and the name takes shape. The opening date will be announced through the museum’s official channels.
Plan to Built
From drawing to building.
From drawing to building.The building is the first object on display. It is drawn in a single line, as every building is drawn before it is built. Drag to watch the line become stone, wood and copper.
- AFront elevation
- BConcept design, Baghdad
- CStone · wood · copper
Plan
Built
The Manifesto
The manifesto
- Before we taught the world the alphabet, we taught it how to build.
- Before the hanging gardens were walled, we raised the ziggurat.
- Before modern architecture was born, our ancestors designed the future.
INMA — Where Iraq remembers how to be the teacher again.
Brand Essence
Three pillars. No fourth.
Three pillars. The museum stands here, or not at all.The museum stands on these three, or it does not stand.
The Craft
The CraftEverything shown at INMA is made by hand and digitally in the workshop. No imports, no shortcuts, no imitation. Craft is what sets us apart from any other project.
The Dignity
The DignityWe speak of Iraq without pity and without exaggeration. What we have is enough. Authority comes from reality, not from effects.
The Building
The building is the first exhibit.
The building is the first object on display.The museum is built from the vocabulary of Iraqi architecture itself: a stone façade, pointed arches, timber shanasheel from the houses of Baghdad and Basra, and a copper tower that spirals upward as the Malwiya does.
01Stone
StoneThe mass of the façade, in the colour and substance of the land.
02The pointed arch
The pointed archTall windows under pointed arches: the inheritance of Abbasid building, which used the pointed arch to carry heavy loads.
03Shanasheel
ShanasheelCarved timber bays from the tradition of Baghdad and Basra: shade, breeze and privacy.
04The copper tower
The copper towerA rising spiral that recalls the Malwiya of Samarra, carrying the museum’s name in Kufic script.
The Collection · Ten Landmarks
Discover the story of every building.
Ten landmarks, each read for the engineering idea it carries.Ten landmarks drawn in the museum’s single-line language. We do not show a landmark as a picture; we read it as a solution. Arranged in time, from the ziggurat to the clock tower. Select a card to read its story.
Map of the Landmarks
Ten landmarks on one land.
From the alluvial plain of the south to the hills of the north: choose a landmark on the map, or start the “Tour through time” to follow the ten landmarks from the oldest to the most recent. Locations are approximate.
Drag · Pinch · Double-click · Ctrl+Scroll
The Halls
Model, drawing, record.
Model, drawing, and record, side by side.Each landmark is shown as a model made in the museum’s workshop, beside its engineering drawing and its historical record. The halls run in chronological order: white, quiet galleries that leave the word to the object.
Architectural visualisation
From the collection
Winged human-headed bull 
Bust of a bearded figure 
Lion in relief 
Model of the Malwiya minaret 
Cylinder inscribed in cuneiform 
Cuneiform tablet 
Stone lion 
A hand lifting a cuneiform cylinder 
Woman pouring water 
Statue in a niche
Studies of objects for the halls, shown here as architectural visualisations.
01The modelThe Model
A miniature made by hand in the workshop, at a single scale, readable from every side.
02The drawingThe Drawing
An engineering drawing in a single line, as a building is drawn before it is built.
03The recordThe Record
Date, source and measure. A number and a fact, with no exaggeration.
Timeline · 22 Eras
Twenty-two eras on one land.
From the first farming villages to the present day.From the first farming villages, twelve thousand years ago, to the architecture of today. Dates for the ancient eras are approximate, as the archaeological record allows.
The bar at the foot of each card places the era on a 12,000-year line, from 10,000 BCE to today.
BCE · CE
The Pioneers
The pioneers.
Ten documented architects of Iraq.Ten architects documented by name, from Gudea of Lagash to Zaha Hadid. A figure is listed when he or she is a known architect recorded in the sources. Select a portrait to read more.
Documentary Series
Iraqi architecture through the ages.
A documentary series in thirty-two episodes.Thirty-two episodes of about five minutes each: twenty-two architectural eras and ten documented architects, in chronological order. The scripts are ready for filming.
The Visit Experience
A visit that starts before the door.
From the archive to the audio guide, the passport and the workshop: concepts for the visitor experience, made in the language of the identity itself, the courtyard, the line and the geometric pattern.
Proposed design concepts for applications of the identity, not announced services. What is confirmed will be announced through the official channels.
The Prize
The Iraq Architecture Prize.
The Iraq Architecture PrizeThe museum’s national award for architecture: a prize for building that knows its history, speaks to its time, and uses its material well.
The prize programme is in preparation. Conditions and dates will be announced through the museum’s official channels.
Visit & Contact
Prepare your visit.
Baghdad, Iraq.Opening date and visiting hours will be announced through the official channels. For institutional, media and academic collaboration, write to us directly.
01
Opening
Opening date and visiting hours will be announced soon, through the museum’s official channels.
02
Location
Baghdad, Iraq. The detailed address will be announced with the opening date.