Over 100 artifacts to be returned to Iraq from Germany: Official

The artifacts are currently at the Iraqi Embassy in Berlin and will be returned to Baghdad.

Mabast Bahaden 2022/08/01 17:16

Artifacts on display (Photo: Iraqi News Agency)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraq will soon receive more than 100 artifacts that have been in Germany since the 1990s, a cultural official told state media.

The historical pieces were brought to Germany through “official borrowing”, Ahmed Al-Aliyawi told the Iraqi News Agency on Monday.

The artifacts are currently at the Iraqi Embassy in Berlin and will be returned to Baghdad “soon”, Al-Aliyawi said.

According to the ministry, an estimated 18,000 artifacts have recently been returned to Iraq from various countries, including the UK, the US, and European countries.

Iraq has several agreements with countries regarding the repatriation of ancient artifacts, many of which were looted from the country during the chaos following the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.

In early December 2021, the foreign ministry announced the repatriation of a 3,500-year-old Epic of Gilgamesh from the US, where it had been smuggled following the invasion.