Ministry of Culture condemns decision to extend loan of 80 Yemen artifacts

SANAA, Feb. 04 (YPA) – The Sanaa-based Ministry of Culture and Tourism condemned the coalition-backed Aden government’s decision to extend the loan of 80 Yemeni artifacts to the Smithsonian American Art Museum for two additional years.

In a statement, the ministry said this extension reflected the state of chaos and anarchy that southern provinces are experiencing, and the absence of a safe zone to protect antiquities.

The statement considered the extension a waste and disregard for Yemen’s wealth and rich cultural heritage, noting that these pieces, which had previously been announced to have been recovered after being smuggled out of the country, are a national treasure and a nation’s identity.

It affirmed that many of these pieces, which were stolen during the work of the American mission in Yemen, were previously published on the list of looted Yemeni antiquities.

The statement stressed that the attempt to market this crime against the national cultural heritage under the pretext of international cooperation in preserving Yemen’s heritage outside its own land is a cover-up for the failure to protect heritage locally.

The statement cited the looting, theft, robbery and destruction of many archaeological sites in the coalition-run Yemeni regions, including the Marib’s Awwam Archaeological Temple, which is considered one of the most important archaeological sites and is registered on the World Heritage List.

“This comes at a time when the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Sanaa government is working with the relevant authorities to preserve and document the Yemeni cultural heritage and confront the theft, sale, looting and smuggling of antiquities,” it added.

AA