Iraq heritage expert says artifact repatriation cases remain complex

BAGHDAD, Iraq — A heritage specialist in Iraq has said the country remains among the hardest hit by antiquities smuggling, and that tracing artifacts taken abroad remains extremely difficult. Ahmed al-Saidi said smuggling networks move pieces from illegal excavations to local intermediaries and then to international traders and auction houses, with provenance documents frequently falsified along the way. Al-Saidi said wars, security instability and weak museum oversight over the past decade have allowed hundreds of thousands of pieces to be smuggled out, with some reaching neighboring countries and others entering global markets. He added that the true scale is unknown, though thousands of items returned to Iraq through cooperation with international organizations in recent years illustrate the problem's scope. The expert called for a comprehensive national strategy, including digital registration of artifacts, stronger security at archaeological sites, and international legal action against smuggling networks. He said public awareness is also central to protection, and that each returned artifact represents a recovered chapter of Iraq's history.