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| Seized objects on display |
Ella Feldman, 'The Smithsonian Will Temporarily House 77 Repatriated Artifacts Amid Unrest in Yemen e'
Daily Correspondent
February 23, 2023
The United States is repatriating 77 looted artifacts to Yemen, but for the time being, they will be held in safekeeping at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art. Given the ongoing unrest in Yemen, the museum has agreed to store the artifacts for two years, with the possibility of extending the arrangement, according to a statement issued by the museum this week. Mohammed Al-Hadhrami, Yemen’s ambassador to the U.S., explained, “With the current situation in Yemen, it is not the right time to bring the objects back into the country. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art is a global leader in cultural heritage and preservation. We are pleased to see these objects in their care.” The 77 items—marking the first repatriation to Yemen from the U.S. in nearly 20 years—include a bronze bowl, 11 folios from early Qur’ans, and 65 carved funerary stones dating back to the first millennium BCE. The U.S. government seized these artifacts from a New York art dealer over a decade ago, as reported by the New York Times. After years in storage, the artifacts are now poised to be preserved and eventually returned to Yemen through this new partnership.
The United States is repatriating 77 looted artifacts to Yemen, but for the time being, they will be held in safekeeping at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art. Given the ongoing unrest in Yemen, the museum has agreed to store the artifacts for two years, with the possibility of extending the arrangement, according to a statement issued by the museum this week. Mohammed Al-Hadhrami, Yemen’s ambassador to the U.S., explained, “With the current situation in Yemen, it is not the right time to bring the objects back into the country. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art is a global leader in cultural heritage and preservation. We are pleased to see these objects in their care.” The 77 items—marking the first repatriation to Yemen from the U.S. in nearly 20 years—include a bronze bowl, 11 folios from early Qur’ans, and 65 carved funerary stones dating back to the first millennium BCE. The U.S. government seized these artifacts from a New York art dealer over a decade ago, as reported by the New York Times. After years in storage, the artifacts are now poised to be preserved and eventually returned to Yemen through this new partnership.
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