UK archaeologists help Iraqis restore their Isis-ravaged heritage

The British Museum is training female archaeologists on the site of the world's oldest bridge

The world's oldest-known bridge, an ancient Sumerian structure in Iraq, is to be used by the British Museum as a training site to teach two groups of female archaeologists the skills to restore the country's Islamic State-ravaged heritage.

After a conflict that saw Isis jihadists destroy large parts of Iraq's archaeological heritage - including the historic sites at Nimrud and Nineveh - the museum will in April begin a training programme for eight women from the Mosul area, most of whom have been living as refugees.