The opening of the museum in 1946
The museum was opened on the second of May 1946, and the inauguration day was chosen to coincide with the birth anniversary of Faisal II, King of Iraq at the time. It was opened by the “Crown Prince” in addition to the former Prime Minister of Iraq, Tawfiq Al-Suwaidi, and a number of ministers in the Bab Al-Mu’adham area, next to the “Children’s Protection Hospital.”
The house belonged to religious endowments and was hired, and the matter of the museum’s association remained hesitant between two opinions. The first required that it be attached to the General Directorate of Ancient Antiquities, as it is the only institution specialized in organizing museums and managing their affairs. However, this opinion was not acted upon because the aforementioned directorate is limited to archaeological studies and the preservation of exhibits related to them, and therefore the Natural History Museum is outside the scope of its competence. As for the second opinion, which judges linking the museum to the deanship of the “Dar Al-Moalmeen Al-Aali” (the College of Education currently), and this is the one adopted by the Council of “Al-Maarif” in its session held on 2 December 1946, making a decision to link the museum to the deanship of the “Dar Al-Moaleen Al-Aali”.
Natural History Research Center, 1973
The year 1973 constituted an important breakthrough in the history of the center, as it moved to its current location in the Bab Al-Mu’azzam area, and with it, its name changed from the Natural History Museum to the Natural History Research Center. It was associated with the Deanship of Postgraduate Studies and Scientific Research, and its objectives became limited to four main directions:
1 – The field of scientific research on the subjects of biology and geology which are related to wildlife.
2- Collecting, identifying, preserving, and maintaining the animal, plant, and geological collections.
3 – Taking care of the exhibition halls and improving them.
4 – Interest in educational and cultural programs.
Library
The library grew gradually to 20,843 volumes in 1973 and 400 journals. The library also contained maps, microfilm, microcard, and slide reader for certain animals. The library works with the winiises system now.
Technical Division:
The most important work carried out by the division upon incorporation
1-Making statues based on photographs taken from the original.
2- Draw colorful paintings representing extinct animals in their natural environment.
3 – Preparing maps for various biological topics.