Iraqi president returns 6,000 artifacts from Britain
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid arranged the return of 6,000 artifacts that were taken by Britain a hundred years ago on the sidelines of his visit to attend the coronation of King Charles III, the Iraqi presidency said on Sunday.
“The ceremony for receiving (6000) artifacts from Britain took place in the building of the Iraqi Embassy in London with the follow-up and blessing of the President of the Republic Abdul Latif Rashid,” the presidency said.
Britain borrowed the antiquities from Iraq “for study purposes” in 1923, according to the presidency.
Iraqi artifacts have been subjected to frequent looting and vandalism since the invasion by the United States in 2003, the most severe of which was in 2014 when the Islamic State (ISIS) occupied large swathes of the country. The country has recovered over 18,000 smuggled artifacts in one year, mostly from the US.
Britain, more specifically the British Museum, has faced criticism for failing to return valuable antiquities to their countries of origin.
The returned artifacts will be handed over to the Iraqi Museum in Baghdad after the return of Rashid from Britain.
Iraq re-inaugurated its national museum in March 2022 after years of conflict, showcasing Iraqi artifacts recovered from the US, Netherlands, Japan, Italy, and Lebanon.
In December 2021, the US returned a prized 3,500-year-old clay tablet featuring a portion of the epic of Gilgamesh to Iraq. The tablet was stolen from an Iraqi museum and illegally trafficked to the US.
Nevertheless, cultural property theft has surged during the COVID-19 pandemic as per an International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) survey, and issues remain in the quest to return historic Iraqi artifacts.
“The ceremony for receiving (6000) artifacts from Britain took place in the building of the Iraqi Embassy in London with the follow-up and blessing of the President of the Republic Abdul Latif Rashid,” the presidency said.
Britain borrowed the antiquities from Iraq “for study purposes” in 1923, according to the presidency.
Iraqi artifacts have been subjected to frequent looting and vandalism since the invasion by the United States in 2003, the most severe of which was in 2014 when the Islamic State (ISIS) occupied large swathes of the country. The country has recovered over 18,000 smuggled artifacts in one year, mostly from the US.
Britain, more specifically the British Museum, has faced criticism for failing to return valuable antiquities to their countries of origin.
The returned artifacts will be handed over to the Iraqi Museum in Baghdad after the return of Rashid from Britain.
Iraq re-inaugurated its national museum in March 2022 after years of conflict, showcasing Iraqi artifacts recovered from the US, Netherlands, Japan, Italy, and Lebanon.
In December 2021, the US returned a prized 3,500-year-old clay tablet featuring a portion of the epic of Gilgamesh to Iraq. The tablet was stolen from an Iraqi museum and illegally trafficked to the US.
Nevertheless, cultural property theft has surged during the COVID-19 pandemic as per an International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) survey, and issues remain in the quest to return historic Iraqi artifacts.