The US handed back to Iraq two ancient looted sculptures valued at $275,000, Baghdad's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
A Mesopotamian limestone elephant and a Sumerian alabaster bull were stolen from the ancient city of Uruk, now known as Warka, one of the oldest civilizations in human history.
"Within the framework of the continuous co-operation between Iraq and the United States in the field of returning illegally smuggled Iraqi antiquities we proudly announce the return of two looted artefacts from the office of the New York attorney general," the foreign ministry told The National.
The two pieces were smuggled during the Gulf War and brought to New York in the late 1990s, the statement said.
A repatriation ceremony was held at the Iraqi embassy in Washington which was attended by assistant special agent-in-charge of Homeland Security Investigations New York, Thomas Acocella and the counsellor at the Iraqi embassy Dhafer Abdulrazaq Jalil.
"Bringing these pieces back home comes as part of the antiquities recovery operations that Iraqi authorities in the foreign and culture ministries and the embassy in Washington are working alongside their American counterparts," the statement said.
The bull was seized from the private collection of Shelby White and the limestone elephant from a storage unit that belonged to the convicted trafficker Robin Symes, where it had been hidden since at least 1999, according to a statement by the district attorney of New York City.
“Once again, we see historic and priceless antiquities hidden from the public and sitting in the possession of traffickers and looters. We will not allow New York City to be a safe harbour for stolen cultural artefacts,” district attorney Alvin L Bragg Jr said in a statement.
Salwan Sinjari, the Iraqi charge d’affairs to the US said the move is another example of the longstanding partnership between Iraq and the US.
“I’m grateful for the work by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for its efforts to repatriate these precious, historic antiquities to Iraq,” he said in a statement.
“These pieces belong to Iraq — and belong in Iraq — and now they will help the Iraqi people better understand and appreciate their own history and culture with this connection to the past," he said.
It is known that the Sumerian bull was originally given as a religious offering to the goddess Inanna at her temple at Uruk. This statuette was probably left together with or in substitution for the living sacrificial animals that it represents.
The limestone shows how the creatures existed in Mesopotamia and have appeared in excavations dating to the 4th millennium.
They were rarely represented in art during those times, making the sculpture a rare historic piece.
Iraq is the birthplace of the world's earliest civilisation in recorded history, and it is home to thousands of artefacts.
Some which have been lost over the years are yet to be found.
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Juventus v Valencia, Tuesday, midnight (UAE)
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Thursday (All UAE kick-off times)
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Bert van Marwijk factfile
Born: May 19 1952
Place of birth: Deventer, Netherlands
Playing position: Midfielder
Teams managed:
1998-2000 Fortuna Sittard
2000-2004 Feyenoord
2004-2006 Borussia Dortmund
2007-2008 Feyenoord
2008-2012 Netherlands
2013-2014 Hamburg
2015-2017 Saudi Arabia
2018 Australia
Major honours (manager):
2001/02 Uefa Cup, Feyenoord
2007/08 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord
World Cup runner-up, Netherlands
MATCH INFO
Europa League semi-final, second leg
Atletico Madrid (1) v Arsenal (1)
Where: Wanda Metropolitano
When: Thursday, May 3
Live: On BeIN Sports HD
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Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
'Avengers: Infinity War'
Dir: The Russo Brothers
Starring: Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Robert Downey Junior, Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen
Four stars
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
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- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
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'Lost in Space'
Creators: Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Irwin Allen
Stars: Molly Parker, Toby Stephens, Maxwell Jenkins
Rating: 4/5
Founder: Ayman Badawi
Date started: Test product September 2016, paid launch January 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Software
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Funding: $170,000 in angel investment
Funders: friends
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
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Indika
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The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
Torque: 760Nm
Price: Dh898,000
On sale: now
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
MATCH INFO
Serie A
Juventus v Fiorentina, Saturday, 8pm (UAE)
Match is on BeIN Sports
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
