Aden (Al-Ittihad)
The Yemeni government confirmed that the country is going through exceptional situations and difficult circumstances as a result of the coup and the devastating war unleashed by the Houthi group, and the systematic destruction it has carried out in all aspects of life, including the destruction of archaeological and heritage sites and museums, the smuggling and selling of antiquities, the distortion of historical cities, and tampering with the cultural, civilizational and human heritage. For the country. In his speech yesterday, via video communication technology, at the symposium hosted by the National Museum of Asian Arts in Washington, DC, the Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Muammar Al-Eryani, called for holding an international conference to preserve and protect Yemeni antiquities, and to work to mobilize the necessary financial and technical resources to help Yemen protect Yemen. And maintain the antiquities it abounds, to protect them from damage and prevent them from falling into the hands of terrorist and criminal organizations.
Al-Eryani stressed that Yemen possesses a rich cultural heritage and material and intangible diversity resulting from multiple civilizations, the evidence of which remains to this day. He pointed out that there are historical cities that have been approved by UNESCO on the list of human heritage. “Sanaa, Shibam Hadhramaut, Zabid, the Socotra Archipelago, and Ma’rib,” and many archaeological sites, buildings, historical palaces, places of worship, and hundreds of historical forts and castles, not to mention the diverse and rich intangible heritage in its fields.
Al-Eryani said: “The cultural and civilizational heritage sector was the most affected due to its fragility and inability to confront the systematic destruction plans carried out by the Houthi group, as archaeological sites and historical buildings were used as military sites, weapons stores, and illegal detention centers for politicians, journalists, and citizens. Some sites were also targeted in a violent manner.” Deliberately and directly, they looted and traded Yemeni antiquities, pointing out that the landmarks of the ancient city of Sanaa, which the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) included on the World Heritage List, were subject to distortion.
Al-Eryani said: “Despite the challenges facing cultural heritage in Yemen, including illicit trafficking, theft, cross-border smuggling, and limited resources, not only financial, but there is the most important element, which is the lack of a sufficient number of professional and qualified staff to practice this activity. However, we are confident that we can To make these challenges an opportunity to work and succeed in what we set out to achieve for the sake of our heritage, legacy, and national cultural identity.”
In this context, Al-Eryani praised the support provided by the United States of America in this aspect, including the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two countries to impose import restrictions on archaeological materials and prevent their smuggling, and its role in controlling and returning (79) antiquities that were smuggled for the purpose of illicit trade. Al-Eryani called on all brotherly and friendly countries to follow the example of the United States of America by concluding similar agreements to help protect Yemeni antiquities from illicit trafficking, and to work to close an important source of financing terrorism in the world.
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