France returns the statue of the "King of Qataban" to Yemen.

Arabian Sea Newspaper - Special

Arab Sea - Follow-ups: French authorities have returned to Yemen the statue of the Qatabanian king known as "Shahr Hilal," in addition to 15 other artifacts, including statues and funerary plaques, after five years of follow-up and litigation. According to archaeologist Abdullah Mohsen, the recovery of these historical pieces represents a model of French-Yemeni cooperation in combating the smuggling of cultural heritage. He added that the pieces, which date back to the period between the fourth century BC and the first century AD, belong to ancient Yemeni civilizations, most of them coming from the Bihaan Valley and Al-Jawf. Mohsen pointed out that the artifacts were placed in a safe place in Paris, at the request of the Yemeni government, until the situation stabilizes and they can be transferred to Yemen. Our country's ambassador to UNESCO, Dr. Muhammad Jumeh, explained that the recovery process came after a series of meetings between Yemeni and French officials, during which the necessary documents and evidence were presented, including a statement of authenticity of the artworks, which confirmed that the pieces belong to ancient Yemeni civilizations. It turned out that the seized pieces were part of a French collection of Italian origin, and were seized during a routine inspection by the French police in January 2020, after moving between several parties before being seized in a goods warehouse in the suburbs of Paris. This operation highlights the need to take further measures to protect Yemeni antiquities abroad, and the importance of international cooperation in preventing the smuggling of cultural heritage.