Marking one of the most remarkable milestones in safeguarding Iraq’s cultural legacy in the past twenty years, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Antiquities revealed that over 40,000 artifacts—previously looted and trafficked out of the country amid prolonged political and security upheaval—have been successfully recovered.
Ahmed al-Aliawi, the ministry’s spokesperson, described the recovery operations as “one of the government’s major priorities,” highlighting that these efforts involved close collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Iraqi embassies worldwide, and ongoing coordination with Interpol, UNESCO, and other international cultural organizations. The majority of the recovered pieces, he added, were located in the United States, the United Kingdom, and several other European and Asian countries.
Among the repatriated treasures, the famed Epic of Gilgamesh tablet stands out. Dating back approximately 3,500 BC, it represents one of humanity’s earliest literary epics, originating from the civilization of the Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian people. Another prominent piece is the Sumerian ram statue, around 4,500 years old, symbolizing the legacy of ancient Sumerian civilization.
These artifacts are now displayed at the Iraqi National Museum in Baghdad, in special exhibitions that highlight the journey of reclaiming looted heritage—a narrative where national pride intertwines with the bitter echoes of history.
Since the US invasion in 2003, Iraq’s archaeological sites have suffered extensive looting, exploiting security vacuums and institutional weaknesses. Looting peaked after 2014, during Islamic State’s (ISIS) occupation of vast areas in northern and western Iraq, when entire archaeological sites were plundered, and Iraqi heritage became a commodity in the global black market.
Baghdad, however, did not remain idle. In 2021, Iraqi authorities, in cooperation with Washington, successfully repatriated the Gilgamesh tablet after a prolonged legal battle. The following year, dozens of artifacts returned from countries including Italy, Japan, Lebanon, and the Netherlands, now exhibited in the capital as a symbolic restoration of stolen national dignity.
Al-Aliawi stressed that the mission is far from over, stating, “We continue to tackle illegal excavations and the smuggling of artifacts. Through collaboration with multiple countries and robust security measures, we are working tirelessly to recover stolen pieces both within Iraq and beyond its borders.”
Experts note that recovering such a large number of artifacts in a relatively short period reflects Iraq’s growing diplomatic and cultural capabilities and signals increased international awareness of the importance of protecting shared human heritage, particularly in conflict zones.
Despite this major recovery, a significant portion of Iraq’s heritage remains lost, scattered in private collections and illegal art markets worldwide. Nevertheless, the return of over 40,000 artifacts marks a confident step in the long journey to reclaim a civilizational identity that spans millennia.
Main Image: Gilgamesh tablet