[CPProt.net] Yemeni antiquities: a civilization in exile

[MSN CPPnet]

Yemeni antiquities: a civilization in exile 
By Ahmed Al-Zurqa
Jul 3, 2005 - Vol. VIII Issue 26 
Fears are mounting for up to 3000 antiquities that left Yemen for Europe in
2002.
Russia and Kuwait have failed to return thousands of valuable artifacts and
there is concern that the same fate may befall those currently on display in
Europe. 

With the closure of the Sana’a National Museum two years ago, there is
currently no national home for Yemeni antiquities, and with nowhere to
display their pieces, many collectors and foreign exhibitors remain
reluctant to hand them back to the Yemeni authorities.

To compound the issue, smuggling is rampant. Indeed the situation is so
grave that stories abound of concerned foreigners who buy artifacts on the
black-market and donate them to Yemeni museums to ensure that they do not
leave the country.

In 2004 a Belgium archeologist submitted around 500 pieces he bought from
villagers in Al-Jawf governorate, a rich archeological area.

Despite such philanthropic acts, the archeological community in Yemen
remains extremely concerned about the black-market trade in antiquities.
Their vigilance has recently secured some high profile arrests.

Arrests and contacts in high places

A statement given to the police by Mounir Arbach, an archeologist working
for le Centre Français d' Archeologie et de Sciences Sociales de Sana'a
(CEFAS), led to the investigation of several high-ranking officials at the
General Organization for Antiquities and Manuscripts (GOAM). Further
information received from Arbach enabled police to smash one of the largest
smuggling rings in Yemen and arrest its leader, Sameer Jadd.

Jadd, a Jordanian, had previously been arrested under suspicion of
smuggling, but had been released without charge. He was found to be
preparing a shipment of 788 pieces, which were in the possession of Hamid
Shakir, an Iraqi national. Shakir is a former employee of a cargo company
owned by the son of a former prime minister.

In addition a valuable telescope was found in a flat belonging to Shakir.
The location of the flat, within the political zone, in the house of the
head of Political Security, Ghalib Al-Qamish, raises a suspicion of
espionage-related foul play.
  
Although sources say that Jadd confessed to being a member of a large,
international smuggling network, he was released a second time.
Investigations are currently underway to identify further members of the
gang.

Jadd is believed to have bought artifacts from traders and brokers in the
Al-Jawf, Marib, Al-Baidha and Shabwa governorates as well as off the
black-market.

A million euro Yemeni throne 

Despite his help in breaking up a major smuggling ring, some have cast doubt
on the integrity of Arbach. Questions have been raised after he offered the
Yemeni government 500 pieces, only after they had already been in his
possession for four months. 

Arbach said that he was sent by GOAM to visit archeological sites in
Al-Jawf. “We discovered an important temple and beautiful decorations,” he
said. He went on explain that ruins from four pre-historic kingdoms,
Al-Sawda, Haram, Kamna and Anaba, were in a bad state. 

While on the expedition he claims to have acquired important pieces costing
$16,000, in coordination with the Governor of Al-Jawf. The money was paid by
a French expedition.  

Investigating and breaking up smuggling rings has become an unfortunately
common event for the police tasked with their discovery. All too often,
however, suspects are released on the intervention of their embassy, before
they can be convicted. An employee at GOAM, who declines to be named, said
that many of the smugglers are themselves diplomats who take advantage of
diplomatic laissez passer to remove items, undetected.

Certainly foreign nationals are often involved in the smuggling of
antiquities out of Yemen. The Ministry of the Interior said it has
identified Jordanian and Syrian gang members. 

Furthermore, interested foreigners are frequently offered pieces by
unscrupulous dealers. Mr Arbach said that he had recently been offered 50
intact, bronze relics, by smugglers wiling to sell them for $35,000. He
informed GOAM, but despite being substantially undervalued, GOAM has
insufficient funds to purchase even such important items.
  
Indeed, GOAM has little capacity to combat the removal of antiquities from
Yemen. Often the best that they can do is to warn of the increase in
smuggling, and to identify sites where illegal digging has been taking
place. 

The GOAM itself is almost helpless about the whole thing. A former
administration had talked about pieces that were taken abroad to be
displayed, Kuwait and Russia being examples, but were not returned.

Critically, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has so far failed to produce
an atlas of archeological sites, which makes the task of monitoring them
more difficult. Most pieces are found by villagers after they are uncovered
by torrential rain. In Ibb governorate rains scoured a field bare, exposing
a number of columns and inscriptions. 
   
The problem is escalating. About 800 pieces were seized during 2003 alone,
and the number reached 1000 in the following year. 

Two years ago Jordanian archeological authorities returned a number of
precious artifacts including three bronze idols. They had been seized by
Jordanian customs at the airport. 

In 2002 the Yemeni Embassy in London managed to retrieve a number of relics
including two tombstones dating from the 10th Hijri century. The two pieces
were looted from a cemetery in Saada to the north of Sana'a and had been on
auction at Bonham’s.  

The items on sale in foreign markets provide further tangible evidence of
the scale of the problem, albeit too late. A Swiss merchant who acquired a
400BC stone throne (currently located in Switzerland) has put it up for
sale, priced at 1,000,000 Euros. The financial incentive for foreign dealers
is vast. There have been reports of two similar thrones, retrieved from a
site in Al-Sawda a few months ago, being sold to a merchant in the Gulf for
only YR 12 million (app. $65,000).

“The most beautiful Yemeni artifacts are in the European galleries,” said an
archeologist while on a visit to Yemen. He added that it would be virtually
impossible for Yemen to retrieve such pieces once they were outside the
country. 

Yemen Observer Newspaper