There is more than a century of Iraqi history in Sheikh Yousif Akar’s house, a modest home in the holy city of Najaf which the retired teacher has crammed full of local antiques collected over 50 years.
![Youssef Akkar, 80, an Iraqi retired teacher looks at his old weapons in his museum at home in Najaf, Iraq [Twitter]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Iraq-2.png?resize=500%2C333&ssl=1)
Youssef Akkar, 80, an Iraqi retired teacher looks at his old weapons in his museum at home in Najaf, Iraq [Twitter]
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The small museum has attracted a few curious antique lovers, but he rarely advertises for visitors as his house is too small to receive guests.
The 80-year-old hopes the state will take over the collection when he is gone.
“At the end of my life, I wish they would allocate to a place for me to keep these antiquities … for Najaf, for Iraq” he said.