State Board of Antiquities and Heritage: Recovering 27,000 artifacts
The State Board of Antiquities and Heritage announced on Tuesday the recovery of 27,000 artifacts from inside and outside Iraq, confirming their return to the Iraqi National Museum, as part of intensive government efforts to protect the country's cultural heritage.
"The file of recovering smuggled and looted antiquities receives direct attention from PM Muhammed S. Al-Sudani and the Minister of Culture, as work is being done to follow it up in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Iraqi embassies in various countries of the world," said the head of the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, Ali Obaid, to the Iraqi News Agency - INA.
Obeid added, "During the past period, we were able to recover more than 7,000 artifacts of historical importance dating back to ancient civilizations, and representing great artistic and cultural value, as they were returned to their original home in the Iraqi National Museum."
"The efforts are not limited to recovery from abroad, as security operations and coordination with the Internal Security Forces, the Intelligence Service, and the Ministry of Interior resulted in the seizure of more than 20,000 artifacts inside Iraq, where legal measures were taken regarding them, and they are now preserved in the Iraqi National Museum."
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