UNESCO celebrates US handover of 3,500year-old Gilgamesh Tablet to Iraq

Shafaq News/ UNESCO will celebrate a “significant victory” when one of the oldest literary works in history is formally handed back to Iraq by the United States at a ceremony at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC this Thursday, September 23rd. 

In addition to this exceptional piece, in July, the US Government facilitated the voluntary repatriation of 17,000 artifacts to Iraq looted in recent decades.

 “Gilgamesh Tablet,” known as “Gilgamesh Dream Tablet,” have been looted from an Iraqi museum following the 1991 conflict.

 In 2007 it was fraudulently introduced into the US art market, and in 2019, it was seized by the US Department of Justice.

The restitution of this valuable artifact is the culmination of decades of cooperation between states such as the United States and Iraq. They are both signatories of UNESCO’s 1970 Convention, which provides countries with the legal and practical framework to prevent illicit trafficking and ensure that recovered items are returned to their rightful place. 

The Gilgamesh Tablet’s return also symbolizes the broader international mobilization, both by countries and organizations such as UNESCO, to prevent and tackle the illicit trade in ancient artifacts.

The theft and illicit trafficking of ancient artifacts continue to be a key funding source for terrorist groups and other organized criminal organizations.

According to Interpol, over the past decade, there has been an increase in cultural heritage destruction

The United States authorities, a key stakeholder representing an estimated 44% of the global art market, have made significant progress in recent years. With the help of an improved legislative framework and the assistance of vital cultural institutions, the US Antiquities Trafficking Unit has, in 2021 alone, helped return valuable items to the people of Pakistan, Cambodia, Thailand, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. 

Made of clay, the Gilgamesh Tablet includes inscriptions in Sumerian, a civilization of ancient Mesopotamia. In addition, it features sections of a Sumerian poem from the “Epic of Gilgamesh,” which form parts of epic stories mirrored by the Old Testament, making it one of the world’s oldest known religious texts.

UNESCO has, in recent months, been supporting the Iraq National Museum in its efforts to carry out inventory and research work to help safeguard and promote the museum’s invaluable collection.