30-06-2025
Iraq recovers six ancient Mesopotamian tablets from Turkey in official ceremony
Ankara, Turkey ( – The Iraqi Embassy in Ankara on Monday (June 30, 2025) officially received six ancient clay tablets belonging to the civilization of Mesopotamia, in a significant act of cultural heritage repatriation.
The artifacts were handed over during a formal ceremony at the Republic Museum in Ankara. Attendees included Iraqi Ambassador Majid Al-Lajmawi and Turkish Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism, Gökhan Yazgı.
Ambassador Al-Lajmawi stated that the tablets 'represent an authentic part of the ancient civilizational heritage of Mesopotamia' and are a testament to Iraq's pioneering role in human history, particularly in the invention of writing.
For his part, Deputy Minister Yazgı emphasized that the handover is the 'fruit of close cooperation' and embodies Turkey's commitment to international laws on protecting cultural property and supporting Iraq's recovery efforts.
This successful repatriation is part of the Iraqi government's ongoing diplomatic and cultural efforts to reclaim its historical artifacts that were lost or smuggled out in past decades.
