The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) handed over a number of Iraqi cultural artefacts smuggled to the Kingdom by an Arab expatriate recently. The returned artefacts include statues of human beings and lions of varying sizes made of marble and other materials. Hussein Abu Al-Hassan, assistant vice president of the SCTA, signed a statement returning five artefacts to the second secretary at the Iraqi Embassy in the Kingdom, Ahmad Al-Jarba, and attaché Abdullah Rashad. This is the second time in two months the SCTA has returned stolen cultural properties to Iraq. This move comes as part of the agreement of protection of the cultural assets between the two countries in line with a UNESCO convention. “The Kingdom is committed to international agreements particularly on the protection of cultural assets. The Saudi regulations pertaining to the protection of cultural heritage in the Kingdom also do not approve thefts of cultural properties of other countries,” Al-Hassan said after handing over the artefacts.
STOLEN ARTEFACTS RETURNED
STOLEN ARTEFACTS RETURNED
