TheArcheological Museum of Raqqa, also known as theRaqqa Museum (Arabic:مَتْحَفُ الرَّقَّةِ,romanized: Matḥaf ar-Raqqah), is a museum inRaqqa,Syria founded in 1981.[1] The structure housing the museum was built in 1861 and served as an Ottoman governmental building.[2] The museum is dedicated to the preservation of the culture of theRaqqa Governorate.[3]
The museum notably curates large collections gathered from the excavation researches led in the region ofTell Sabi Abyad,Tell Bi'a,Tell Chuera,Tell Munbaqa, and various artefacts dating back toRoman andByzantine times, as well as more recent objects from the Islamic period (notably the epoch ofHaroun al-Rachid) and from the time of thebedouin domination.[4] Its first floor has three sections:Ancient, Classical Vestiges andModern Art; and the second floor is dedicated to Arab andIslamic art.[5]
At its peak, the museum housed some 7,000 artifacts from the surrounding regions.[2] TheSyrian Civil War caused damage to the museum with many of its items being stolen and destroyed duringISIL's rule over Raqqa.[6] After thecapture of the city by theSyrian Democratic Forces in October 2017, the Raqqa Civil Council and its "Committee of Culture and Antiquities" in cooperation with the Vision (Ro’ya) Organisation, has started to restore the building and track down its stolen artifacts, beginning in early 2018.[7]
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