US agrees to return 77 stolen antiquities to civil war-torn Yemen
US to return 77 stolen antiquities to Yemen
The United States has agreed to return 77 antiquities, including relief carved stone heads, Quran manuscript pages, a bronze inscribed bowl, and a Funerary Stele, to Yemen. The pieces date back to the 1st century BCE and belong to the Minaean tribal cultures in northwest Yemen's highlands. This is a welcome development for Yemen, which has been ravaged by an eight-year civil war.
Watch: The West Asia Post | End of the Truce in Yemen
The return of these antiquities is a result of a campaign launched by New York state's justice department to restore looted antiquities to their countries of origin. The campaign has been ongoing for several years and has resulted in the return of at least 700 pieces to 14 countries, including Cambodia, Egypt, Greece, India, Iraq, Italy, and Pakistan, between 2020 and 2021.
The 64 carved stone heads were confiscated in the United States as part of a 2012 plea bargain from an antiquities smuggler named Mousa Khouli, also known as "Morris" Khouli. The antiquities were imported into the US from Dubai using fake documentation.
The announcement of the return of the antiquities was made jointly by the prosecutor's office, the Department of Homeland Security, the State Department, and the Smithsonian Institution, which includes nearly 20 museums in the United States. The Yemeni government and the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art have signed an agreement to preserve the objects for two years, with the option of renewing it at Yemen's request.
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Also Read |As war destroys Yemen's present, museums struggle to preserve its past
Yemen's ambassador to the United States, Mohammed Al-Hadhrami, expressed his gratitude to New York for the return of the antiquities. He also thanked the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art for agreeing to temporarily hold these antiquities until they are fully repatriated back to Yemen. The return of these antiquities is a significant step towards recognising the cultural heritage of Yemen and preserving it for future generations.
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