Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq has recovered more than 30,000 antiquities and is continuing negotiations to retrieve additional pieces abroad, State Board of Antiquities and Heritage chief Ali Obeid Shalgham said on Tuesday.

According to a statement published by the state board, the recovered items include artifacts stolen from the Iraq Museum and others removed from archaeological sites through illegal excavation. Pieces from illicit digs require examination by specialist committees to establish their identity and Iraqi origin, he added.

The United States has returned more Iraqi antiquities than any other country, while Japan, Jordan, Morocco, and Lebanon have also repatriated pieces.

According to Shargham, Iraq hosts more than 50 foreign archaeological missions working in excavation, research, surveying, and conservation. Artifacts uncovered by the missions are transferred to Baghdad and kept at the Iraq Museum, with some placed on public display.

In January, Shalgham said the country had recovered about 11,000 antiquities over the previous two years, including roughly 6,000 returned from Britain. The US also returned about 3,800 Iraqi artifacts in 2018 after they were forfeited in a federal case involving Hobby Lobby, including cuneiform tablets, clay bullae, and cylinder seals.

Read more: A race against time: Restoring Iraq's lost history