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The National
22-05-2025
- The National
Once smuggled, now reclaimed: Iraq retrieves ancient artefacts from New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art
For decades, three prized items told stories of ancient Mesopotamia from behind museum glass in foreign lands. Now, they are heading home to Iraq as part of a global push to retrieve antiquities that were looted and sold around the world over the centuries. The Iraqi embassy in Washington announced it has recovered three rare artefacts dating back to the Sumer and Babylonian civilisations millennia ago. It hailed the transfer from New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art as a 'new milestone in the country's ongoing diplomatic efforts to protect its cultural heritage'. Museum officials say the artefacts include a Sumerian container, depicting two rams, that is made of gypsum alabaster, a type of mineral and soft rock. The other items are Babylonian ceramic sculptures of the heads of a man and a woman. They date from the third to second millennium BC, a museum statement said. The two rams sculpture originates from between 2600 BC and 2500 BC, while the carving of the woman's head dates from 2000 BC to 1600 BC. Both were given to the museum in 1989 by the Norbert Schimmel Trust. The head of the male, dating back to around 2000 BC to 1600 BC, was bought by the museum in 1972. The male head and container with rams were previously sold by notorious British antiquities dealer Robin Symes, who in 2016 was accused by Italian authorities of being involved in an international criminal network trading in looted archaeological treasures. He died in October 2023. Both the heads are thought to be from Isin, an archaeological site in southern Iraq, while the ram sculpture is not known to be associated with a particular area. The latter appeared on the Baghdad art market and was bought by Swiss dealer Nicolas Koutoulakis in 1956 before being acquired by Cecile de Rothschild. The return to Iraq is part of the Met museum's Cultural Property Initiative which was launched in 2023 and includes a review of works in its collection. Several artefacts have been returned to their places of origin in various countries since. 'The Met is committed to the responsible collecting of art and the shared stewardship of the world's cultural heritage and has made significant investments in accelerating the proactive research of our collection,' said Max Hollein, museum director and chief executive. 'The museum is grateful for our ongoing conversations with Iraq regarding future collaborative endeavours, and we look forward to working together to advance our shared dedication to fostering knowledge and appreciation of Iraqi art and culture." The Iraqi embassy said the return of the artefacts "is seen as a contribution to safeguarding Iraq's historical memory and a reflection of both Iraqi and global pride in this unique human heritage". Decades of war, instability, lack of security and mismanagement have taken their toll on Iraq's heritage, art and culture. After the 1991 Gulf War, when a US-led international coalition repelled Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait and the UN imposed economic sanctions, illegal archaeological digs became widespread, mainly in remote areas that troops were unable to secure. With the fall of Baghdad during a similar invasion that ended Saddam's regime in 2003, looters broke into the Iraqi National Museum and made off with priceless artefacts, only a few thousand of which have been recovered. Looters continue to dig at unprotected archaeological sites in Iraq, leading to hundreds of artefacts showing up on the worldwide market. But with the help of the international community, Iraq has managed to retrieve thousands of items of stolen heritage from around the world in recent years, mainly from the US.
New York Times
20-05-2025
- New York Times
Met Museum Surrenders Artifacts Thought Looted From Iraq
Three ancient artworks that for years had been part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and are now thought to have been looted were returned on Monday to the Republic of Iraq, the Met and the Manhattan district attorney's office said in statements. The artworks were recovered following criminal investigations into looted art, including one into the British antiquities dealer Robin Symes, the district attorney's office said. Mr. Symes, who died in 2023, was long suspected by investigators to have been a trafficker. The artifacts were returned in an official ceremony at the district attorney's office in Lower Manhattan that was attended by Met officials and representatives from Iraq. 'Through the Museum's cooperation with the Manhattan DA's office, and as a result of its investigation into Robin Symes, the museum recently received new information that made it clear that the works should be repatriated, resulting in a constructive resolution,' the Met said in a statement. The artifacts include a Sumerian vessel made of gypsum alabaster dating to around 2600 to 2500 B.C., which passed through Symes's hands and was given to the museum in 1989 by a private collection; and two Babylonian ceramic sculptures, a head of a male and a head of a female, dating to around 2000 to 1600 B.C. The head of a male was sold by Symes to the Met in 1972; the head of a female was a gift from the same private collection in 1989. All three were seized by the district attorney's antiquities trafficking unit earlier this year. The two heads are thought to be from Isin, an ancient Mesopotamian archaeological site in Iraq. When the vessel was initially offered to the Met, in 1956, a Swiss dealer said it had been found near the ancient Mesopotamian city of Ur, the district attorney's office said. The district attorney's office said the investigation into Symes by its antiquities trafficking unit had led to the seizure of 135 antiquities that it said had been trafficked by Symes into and through Manhattan. The investigators calculated the value of the artifacts at $58 million. 'We continue to recover and return antiquities that were trafficked by Robin Symes,' the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg Jr., said in a statement. 'That is a testament to the hard work of attorneys, analysts and investigators who are committed to undoing the significant damage traffickers have caused to our worldwide cultural heritage.' In a statement, H.E. Nazar Al Khirullah, Iraq's ambassador to the United States, said: 'We deeply value our enduring partnership with key American institutions — foremost among them, the Antiquities Trafficking Unit of the DA's Office, whose leadership has been instrumental in the recovery of Iraq's looted heritage. We also appreciate our strong and ongoing partnership with The Met, whose commitment to cultural preservation complements our shared mission to safeguard the world's antiquities.' Max Hollein, the Met's director, said in a statement: 'The Met is committed to the responsible collecting of art and the shared stewardship of the world's cultural heritage and has made significant investments in accelerating the proactive research of our collection.'
Shafaq News
28-01-2025
- Business
- Shafaq News
Iraq's Khawr Al-Zubair port welcomes 13 oil tankers
Shafaq News/ The General Company for Iraqi Ports announced, on Tuesday, that 13 oil tankers carrying various shipments were docked at the specialized berths of Khawr Al-Zubair Port. General Manager Farhan Al-Fartousi told Shafaq News that "Khawr Al-Zubair Port received 13 oil tankers carrying diverse shipments, including fuel oil, gasoline, and naphtha. The tankers were distributed across different berths at the port: Tanker Sumer docked at berth 41, tanker Versha at berth 42, both loaded with fuel oil, while berth 2 received tanker Meltemi loaded with gasoline, and berth 9 accommodated tanker Front Vego loaded with naphtha." He added that the remaining tankers carried various other shipments, such as fuel oil, gas oil, and Vlankot, reflecting the wide range of cargo handled at the port. The docking, departure, and unloading operations witnessed fruitful cooperation between maritime navigation and port management, contributing to the expedited workflow and ensuring smooth maritime operations." Last month, the General Company for Iraqi Ports announced its total revenues for the year 2024, confirming that they exceeded one trillion Iraqi dinars. The total container throughput reached 1,800,000 containers, with over three thousand ships docking at the port.
