Amir al-Zubaidi is Director of Nasiriyah Museum, and now SBAH Director of Archaeology for Dhi Qar province. He introduces us to Nasiriyah Museum, and discusses both his achievements so far and his dreams for the future. What interests the people of Nasiriyah, and what role does heritage play in civic life there?  This is the first in an experimental mini-series where we hear the thoughts of colleagues who are doing important work in Iraq. Yet while their work may be well known in Iraq itself, few in the UK or the wider western world know anything about it. This may be partly because of the nature of the specialist’s position, or the low level of Arabic language skills in the west.  With the help of interpreter Zainab Mizyidawi, Amir was interviewed in Arabic and the results have been translated into English. This episode was made possible through the generous support of the London Centre for the Ancient Near East.  4:31 Nasiriyah Museum 9:39 visitors 11:42 audience engagement 15:55 goals 19:59 what interests people 21:07 role of heritage in Nasiriyah  23:20 role of foreign teams 24:40 life as director of archaeology  29:49 priorities and challenges 30:55 hopes Music by Ruba Hillawi Website: http://wedgepod.org YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSM7ZlAAgOXv4fbTDRyrWgw Email: [email protected] Twitter: @wedge_pod  Patreon: http://Patreon.com/WedgePod