Smuggling, Selling Antiquities in Public Auctions in US, UK

The history of Yemen is displayed in American auctions, as well as London, the second largest market for antiquities in the world. Whoever has the ability to buy, the doors are opened for him. The irony is that the prices of Yemeni antiques are very low as sold by the thieves of antiquities at home, so that their operators reap the huge sums of money from them.

Public theft and fierce competition between Western museums and collectors of antiques and rare pieces from Yemen.

Pieces were previously stolen and others are smuggled under Saudi-Emirati cover, from Al-Jawf, Marib and Shabwa, passing through Hadramout and other cities where archaeological sites are still subject to looting, theft and random excavations by merchants and brokers supported and funded by the Aggression Coalition.

Over the past few days, London has witnessed auctions for the sale of antiquities, and among the exhibited artifacts was a bronze female statue with a circular body standing on top of a flat, integrated base, her left arm resting on her body, while her right hand was raised and extended, holding a flower of five petals.

Whether this statue belongs to the Yemeni civilization or something else due to the conflicting opinions of researchers and specialists in the field of antiquities, this does not hide the fact that the British move is following in the US to rob Yemen’s antiquities.

Among the movables offered for sale in London is an antique bronze plate containing 12 lines inscribed with Musnad script from the first century. It was from a German private collection, before it was sold at Christie’s auction in New York in 2008. It is currently being offered for sale at the Bonhams auction on July 6, 2023.

In the same auction, another masterpiece is displayed, which is a three-dimensional statue of a female made of limestone, dating back to the third century BC.

In the Jasper auction in the US, on July 1, 2023, a statue will be displayed, which is a “female head with an oval face and a smiling mouth.” It appeared for the last time in the Hotel de Ventes de Monte Carlo auction in 2019.

It was reported in the news that the pro-aggression embassy in London recovered four artifacts that were seized by the British police, and it was agreed to keep them temporarily in the British Museum.

In an attempt to exonerate itself of the crime of tampering with the history of Yemen and legitimizing its theft of movable antiquities, London handed over 4 artifacts to the mercenary government with one hand before it recovered them with the other under the pretext of borrowing and leasing them. This is what Washington did and is doing with many countries.

Seven years since the US-Saudi aggression against Yemen had started, Yemeni museums suffered the effects of the US-Saudi warplanes’ crime and its mercenaries, as they have been subjected to destruction, looting and smuggling outside the country.

Since the first day of the aggression on Yemen, the US-Saudi aggression has targeted archaeological sites. For example, the historic city of Sa’adah, large parts of it were destroyed. It is a historic city surrounded by a wall, and it consists of a group of historical dwellings, ancient mosques, hammams, and old markets.

UNESCO included it in the waiting list among the cities to be included in the World Heritage List, while it has been targeted multiple times by the US-Saudi warplanes.

The US-Saudi aggression also facilitated the movement of Al-Qaeda and Daesh members on the western coast in the direction of Abyan and Shabwa, as well as in Marib, where these groups destroyed shrines and domes.