Syrian-Omani cooperation helps recover Syrian antiquities smuggled abroad

Muscat, (ST) – Syria, in cooperation with the National Museum in the Sultanate of Oman, recovered artifacts that had been smuggled abroad and found in the British Museum in the United Kingdom.

The National Museum of Oman worked to hand over the artifacts to Syria through coordination with a number of parties concerned in local and international archaeological affairs, and within the framework of the mediation efforts adopted by the museum, and its support for efforts to preserve the Syrian cultural heritage damaged during the years of war.

The ceremony of handing over the artifacts was held between the National Museum of Oman and the Embassy of the Syrian Arab Republic in the Sultanate of Oman.

In her speech via video, the Minister of Culture, Dr. Labana Mashouh thanked Oman and the parties that participated in the process of recovering and transferring the stolen antiquities from Britain. She praised the National Museum of Oman, which contributed to the return of thousands of artifacts that had been seized by antiquities thieves in areas where terrorists and thieves have wreaked havoc and destruction.

Mashouh stressed that this recovery has its own symbolism, as it is a victory for civilization over backwardness, and that it was crowned with success after efforts made by several parties for years, driven by their awareness of the human and cultural value of these antiquities.

In turn, the Secretary-General of the Omani National Museum, Jamal bin Hassan Al-Musawi, said: The initiative to retrieve Syrian artifacts to their homeland is the result of tripartite cooperation between the Omani National Museum, the General Directorate of Syrian Antiquities and Museums, and the Hermitage Museum in the Russian Federation. He added that this work also is a continuation of the process of cooperation regarding the preservation of the Syrian heritage that was damaged during the years of the crisis.

The Syrian Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman, Dr. Idris Mayya thanked the leadership and people of the Sultanate of Oman for this generous initiative, which reflects their interest in human heritage in general and the Syrian heritage in particular, and for their efforts to return these artifacts to their original homeland, Syria.

Raghda Sawas

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