Statue of Alexander to go up in northern Iraq
Greek authorities plan to build a statue to Alexander the Great in northern Iraq to mark the site of a key 331 BC battle that led to the fall of the Persian Empire, Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis said yesterday. Bakoyannis, who discussed the project yesterday with her visiting Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zebari, said the host country has welcomed the erection of the statue near the oil-rich city of Mosul. According to Bakoyannis, Zebari, who is a Kurd, said of the proposed project, «It’s a great idea and we back it.» The Battle of Gaugamela took place between Alexander and Darius III of Achaemenid Persia near present-day Mosul. It resulted in a massive victory for the Alexander’s army of Macedonians and led to the fall of the Persian Empire. Bakoyannis said that Greece also plans to help Iraq fund the reconstruction of looted and war-damaged museums.
