More than a thousand antiquities which had been stolen from Iraq have been returned to the nation. They were handed over by Jordanian authorities who confiscated them from smugglers.
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| An Assyrian artefact recovered from Jordan is displayed at the Iraqi National Museum in Baghdad [Credit: AP] |
Ancient Sumerian texts, pottery and glass vessels from the Babylonian era, which had been all on display at the National Museum of Iraq in Baghdad, were returned to a grateful Iraq by neighbor Jordan. The precious artifacts had been looted from the country by smugglers.
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| An Assyrian artefact recovered from Jordan is displayed at the Iraqi National Museum in Baghdad [Credit: AP] |
In all, 1,300 pieces were handed back by Jordanian authorities during a ceremony on Saturday and now are being displayed at the Iraqi museum. Iraq's Culture Minister has hailed their return.
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| Antiquities recovered from Jordan are displayed at the Iraqi National Museum in Baghdad [Credit: AP] |
"Iraqi heritage has suffered a lot during the last decades in terms of looting and destruction. And we believe that protecting Iraqi heritage is a global task because it's the heritage of all humankind," says Abdulameer al-Hamadani.
Iraq is putting in a lot of effort to restore its rich cultural heritage after it was decimated after the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. Al-Hamadani is calling on the international community to support Iraq in its quest to recover its antiquities.
Source: Press TV [February 04, 2019]
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