Spain probes for smuggled Yemeni antiquities

MADRID, Oct. 19 (YPA) – Yemeni researcher specializing in tracking smuggled antiquities, Abdullah Mohsen, said on Sunday that Spanish police have opened an extensive investigation into two Yemeni artifacts after they were auctioned in Barcelona last July.

Mohsen confirmed that the two artifacts, two tombstones from the Kingdom of Qataban (1st century BC – 1st century AD), were offered at the “Grand Summer Auction” organized by Templum Auction House on July 30, 2025.

The researcher noted that one of the tombstones, which bears a bull’s head from a private European collection, contains a “false Musnad text” that was added later and does not conform to the rules of Musnad script.

He noted that the second tombstone is an “exceptional” funerary object bearing a human figure and a South Arabian inscription, the researcher called on the Yemeni government to cooperate with Spanish authorities in their efforts to recover these artifacts.

AA