US officials announced Wednesday the return of 36 stolen artifacts to Syria, including a stone sculpture that was illegally removed from the ancient site of Palmyra during the period when the group known as the “Islamic State” was destroying parts of the site.
اضافة اعلان
US authorities seized the artifacts, whose total value exceeds $5 million, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and from several private collectors.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the repatriation of the artifacts was a “powerful reminder that preserving cultural heritage transcends borders and nationalities.”
According to a statement, the sculpture was taken from Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, before members of the group known as the “Islamic State” destroyed large parts of the ancient city between 2015 and 2017.
The limestone sculpture weighs more than 450 kilograms and depicts a reclining man surrounded by a woman and three children.
The United States has previously returned stolen artifacts to several countries, including China, Greece and Italy.
Mohammad Qanatari, chargé d’affaires at the Syrian Embassy in Washington, said in a statement that the repatriation demonstrated how “a shared commitment to protecting cultural heritage can build lasting bridges between our two countries.”
“Thanks to Syrian-American cooperation, a part of Syria’s history is finally returning home,” he added, praising the efforts of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
Four of the Syrian artifacts were seized from US antiquities collector Michael Steinhardt, who in 2021 returned about 180 stolen artifacts from around the world under an agreement with the US government. The items had a combined value of $70 million.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said the 13 artifacts seized from the Metropolitan Museum of Art were among 402 antiquities worth $98.7 million that the office has seized from the institution since 2017.
Source: AFP
