Germany and Switzerland hand over spectacular Assyrian and Sumerian artifacts to Iraq
Baghdad - 28-12-2011
Germany and Switzerland have handed over to Iraq this month some of the finest archaeological pieces that had gone missing, a senior Antiquities Department official said. Ameera Aidan, the department’s head of museums, said “The department has succeeded in getting back two very valuable pieces from Switzerland”, she said. “They are Assyrian reliefs of great importance” while Germany passed to Iraq 45 archaeological pieces among them a priceless “gold utensil” of astounding beauty that was part of the Sumerian royal cemetery of Ur.
Aidan said the department worked hard to have the pieces back which, she said, were among the artifacts that were stolen from the Iraq Museum in the turbulence that accompanied the 2003-U.S. invasion of Iraq. She said seven more items were retrieved from Japan. Aidan added that the pieces will arrive in Iraq through diplomatic post and the Foreign Ministry in cooperation with the Department of Antiquities will hold a ceremony once the artifacts land in Iraq and are taken to their “rightful place” in the Iraq Museum.
Agencies
