The British Museum is returning artifacts looted in Iraq during the Iraq War in 2003. A collection of ancient Mesopotamian tablets and statues kept in storage for nearly two decades will be returned to owners in Iraq. The step is major in terms of repatriation and recognition of Iraq’s cultural heritage. These artifacts include finely crafted tablets, statues, and other antiquities captured by coalition forces during the war and ending up at the British Museum. It is a case similar to what was reported initially, whereas the intention of the museum at the time was to preserve the artifacts for a future generation.
Over the past several years, there has been mounting pressure from Iraqi authorities and cultural institutions that these items should be returned to their original homeland. Their repatriation does not only mean a big step in the healing of injuries opened during the war but is also regarded as a landmark in preserving and celebrating the rich cultural heritage of Iraq. The returned artifacts will find their place inside the Iraqi National Museum in Baghdad, which is therefore open to the general public and able to contribute to the cultural identity of the country. The decision for the return of antiquities was reached after consultations between Iraqi authorities, experts in culture, and other stakeholders. It is understood that the philosophy guiding the decision of the British Museum was one of cultural repatriation, which calls for the return of cultural artifacts back to their place of origin.
This relationship manifests an understanding that such heritages and artifacts are part and parcel of a nation’s identity and heritage, whose removal has detrimental effects on a community for generations. The most remarkable of these returned antiquities is a collection of ancient tablets with cuneiform inscriptions that shed a huge amount of light on the daily life and culture of ancient Mesopotamians. Several statues are also found in the returned treasure; of these, some stand for fabulous figures from ancient Mesopotamian mythology that thus become star exhibits at the Iraqi National Museum. This return thus makes a major shift in the ties between Iraq and the British Museum. Indeed, these two institutions have worked together in various aspects over the years on different exhibitions and conservation projects. The return of artifacts thus becomes expressive and illustrative of the new commitment towards the current notion of cultural cooperation and understanding between the two nations.
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Repatriation is likely to be completed within the next few months as museum officials work in conjunction with the Iraqi authorities to finish the transfer process. The British Museum also agreed on training and support for Iraqi curators and conservators to ensure proper preservation and presentation of the antiquities in their collection that were being returned. This, in essence, is a huge step in repatriation and recognition of the cultural heritage of Iraq. The received artifacts are likely to play a big role in maintaining the cultural identity of Iraq through the provision of some links to its heritage, which is very rich in the past. This sets up a very important precedent for future collaboration between museums and cultural institutions across the globe by emphasizing that respect needs to be accorded to the heritage of any nation at all times.
