The President of Iraq, Abdul Latif Rashid, has decided to return 6,000 Iraqi artifacts that were borrowed by Britain for study purposes since 1923.

The decision was made during Rashid’s visit to the United Kingdom to attend the coronation ceremony of King Charles III.

A ceremony was held at the Iraqi Embassy in London, where the artifacts were handed over to the Iraqi President.

The recovered artifacts include approximately 6,000 pieces, four boxes containing replica pieces for study purposes, two paintings, and six boxes of books.

Iraq has recently made significant progress in recovering its cultural antiquities and treasures.

In July 2021, the country announced the largest recovery operation for smuggled Iraqi cultural antiquities, retrieving about 17,000 valuable artifacts from the United States.

The recovered artifacts were brought on the same plane that was carrying the Iraqi Prime Minister, Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, coming from Washington.

Iraq is one of the richest countries in the world in terms of antiquities, with thousands of archaeological sites across the country.

Iraq was once the cradle of some of the oldest cities and civilizations in the world, and the recovered artifacts represent an important indication of the success of Iraqi diplomacy in fully recovering its antiquities. The recovered artifacts will be handed over to the national museum of Iraq.