The L.A. Times sent staff architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff to Baghdad some time ago and the result is a four-part series beginning Sunday with two big installments: "A Crumbling Cultural History" and "When Iraq Looked West." Color photos from at least three photographers accompany the series and are on the website in Flash.

Headline deck with part one: For centuries, Baghdad's heritage has been obliterated, neglected, abused and, most recently, bombed.