The Museum of Lost Objects traces the histories of 10 antiquities or cultural sites that have been destroyed or looted in Iraq and Syria. In 2013, Islamic militants decapitated the statue of an 11th Century Arabic poet that stood in his hometown of Maarat al-Nu’man, a city that’s seen heavy fighting during the Syrian conflict. The poet al-Ma’arri was one of the most revered in Syria, and poetry enthusiasts tell his story – he was blind, vegetarian, atheist, and some even claim that his work inspired Dante’s Divine Comedy. This episode was first broadcast on 8 March, 2016. Presenter: Kanishk Tharoor
Producer: Maryam Maruf Contributors:  Nasser Rabbat, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Mahmoud al-Sheikh, BBC Arabic; the reading is by Susan Jameson Picture: Statue of al-Ma'arri with the sculptor Fathi Mohammed in the 1940s, and the statue after its decapitation in 2013

Al-Ma’arri the Poet

Tracing the histories of antiquities and landmarks that have been destroyed or looted in Iraq and Syria, India and Pakistan.

Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

The Museum of Lost Objects traces the histories of 10 antiquities or cultural sites that have been destroyed or looted in Iraq and Syria. With hundreds of thousands of lives lost, millions of people displaced and some of the world’s most significant heritage sites destroyed, the wars in Iraq and Syria have had an enormous cost. While the historical artefacts that have been bombed, defaced and plundered can never be restored, they are very well remembered. Through local histories, legends and personal stories, the Museum of Lost Objects recreates these lost treasures and explores their significance across generations and cultures, from creation to destruction. The winged bull was a huge 2,700-year-old sculpture that stood guard at the gates of one of the most fabled cities in antiquity – Nineveh, modern-day Mosul, northern Iraq. Militants from the Islamic State group defaced the winged bull in February 2015, almost a year after seizing control of the city. We tell the story of the bull and the role of Nineveh in the origins of Iraqi archaeology. This episode was first broadcast on 29 February, 2016 Presenter: Kanishk Tharoor
Producer: Maryam Maruf Picture: Winged Bull of Nineveh, drawn by Eugène Flandin
Credit: The New York Public Library Contributors: Mazin Safar, son of Iraqi archaeologist Fuad Safar; Mark Altaweel, Institute of Archaeology, UCL; and Iraqi archaeologist Lamia al-Gailani, SOAS With thanks to Nigel Tallis and Sarah Collins of the British Museum, and Augusta McMahon of the University of Cambridge.

Winged Bull of Nineveh

It’s been a year since Brazil’s National Museum burned down in a fire. Not only was its collection one of the most extraordinary in the world, but Brazil’s entire history ran through the museum. On the second floor you could meet the prehistoric skeleton that was the ‘mother’ of all Brazilians; on the third, listen to Amazonian folklore about exploding jaguars; and downstairs, slide into the slippers of a slave king. Now, the only intact artefact on site is a huge iron rock from outer space – the Bendego meteorite.
 
The National Museum and its precious archive of Brazil’s past may be in ruins, but amongst the ashes there’s a battle to revive it.
 
Presenter: Kanishk Tharoor
Producer: Maryam Maruf With thanks to Roberta Fortuna Contributors: Cahe Rodrigues, carnival director; Dom João, photographer and descendent of Brazil’s last emperor; Laurentino Gomes, journalist and author; Monica Lima, historian; Mariza Carvalho Soares, historian and museum curator; Aparecida Vilaça, anthropologist and author of Paletó and Me; Bernabau Tikuna, linguist; Tonico Benetiz, anthropologist; Murilo Bastos, bio-archaeologist; Luciana Carvalho, paleontologist and deputy director of rescue Museu Nacional; Sergio Azevedo, paleontologist and director of Museu Nacional’s 3D printing lab Voice over performances by: Fernando Duarte, Marco Silva, Silvia Salek; Thomas Pappon
 
Picture: Brazil’s National Museum – or Museu Nacional – on fire September, 2018
Credit: Getty Images This edition of Museum of Lost Objects is broadcast on BBC World Service.

The Fire That Scorched Brazil’s History

Rabindranath Tagore, the celebrated Bengali writer, is one of the greatest figures in modern South Asian history. In 1913, Tagore became the first non-westerner to win a Nobel Prize, but just over a decade ago, his Nobel medal was stolen – and still hasn’t been found. This episode looks at Tagore’s legacy, how his songs and poems are ubiquitous in Bengali life, how he inspired revolutionaries and reformers in South Asia, and how his suspicion of all nationalisms - even anti-colonial nationalism - makes his work feel thoroughly contemporary and relevant today. Presented by Kanishk Tharoor
Produced by Maryam Maruf Contributors: Arunava Sinha; Rahul Tandon; and Saroj Mukherji With thanks to Minu Tharoor; CS Mukherji; and Sudeshna Guha Image: An unseen vendor picks up a cut out photo of Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore
Credit: Getty Images

Tagore’s Nobel Prize Theft

Ziarat Residency was a former sanatorium in the hills of Balochistan, and it’s where Muhammad Ali Jinnah - the founder of Pakistan – spent the last three months of his life. The building acquired great significance after his death – it was even on the 100 rupee note, and was eventually turned into a museum. But just four years ago, Ziarat residency was fire-bombed and burnt to the ground by Balochi separatists. Presented by Kanishk Tharoor
Produced by Maryam Maruf Contributors: Nayyar Ali Dada; Saher Baloch; Ayesha Jalal, Tufts University; Pasha Haroon;  With thanks to Fifi Haroon Image: Rebuilt Ziarat Residency after 2013
Credit: Nayyar Ali Dada Associates

Jinnah’s Last Home

In March 1739, the Persian warlord Nader Shah laid siege to Delhi. He destroyed and plundered the city. Among his ‘Delhi loot’ was the famous Jeweled or Peacock Throne of the Mughal Empire. It took seven years to make, and seven elephants to cart it away forever - and it's been lost ever since. This episode stretches back to stories of empire well before British rule, and looks at how narratives of conquest and loss still have a powerful hold over South Asians.  Presented by Kanishk Tharoor
Produced by Maryam Maruf Contributors: Yuthika Sharma, University of Edinburgh; and Manan Ahmed, Columbia University With thanks to Sussan Babaie, Courtauld Institute of Art Image: Persian ruler Nadir Shah on the Peacock Throne after his victory over the Mughals Credit: Alamy

Al-Ma’arri the Poet

Download our free app to listen on your phone