Jordan confiscates stolen Iraqi art

Associated Press via Sun Media ^ | May 2, 2003 | Shafika Mattar

[Clive]

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) -- Jordanian customs officers have confiscated dozens of archaeological items, artworks and other items that may have been stolen from the National Museum in Baghdad or Saddam Hussein's presidential palaces, officials said Thursday.

Khalaf al-Hazaymeh, deputy director of the Customs Department, said no arrests were made yet among the travelers leaving Iraq because officials must first determine if the items were stolen or legitimately purchased.

Items seized included seven statues, two old manuscripts, 26 historical books, a Quran and three copper Shiite pots engraved with the names of the imams.

Also found were 11 carpets, a warrior's helmet, a wooden pot with the name of Prophet Muhammad engraved on it, another wooden carafe ornamented with precious stones, 43 paintings, 61 photos, a family album belonging to Saddam and several golden pots and utensils.

"Those stolen items will be deposited at the Department of Archaeology until the situation in Iraq is settled and security is restored," al-Hazaymeh said. Travelers were given receipts for the seized items.

Iraq's museums held priceless, millennia-old collections from the Assyrian, Sumerian and Babylonian cultures. Ancient Mesopotamia -- modern-day Iraq -- was the cradle of urban civilization.

After the fall of Saddam's government on April 9, looters stole and smashed priceless archaeological treasures from the National Museum in Baghdad and other museums and libraries.

Many Iraqis criticized U.S. troops for doing little to stop the theft.

On Wednesday, Jordan appointed an employee to help customs officials at the al-Karameh border post recover Iraqi cultural treasures.

Al-Karameh post has been Iraq's lifeline since sweeping U.N. sanctions were imposed in the wake of Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait. The desert outpost was used for shipments of food, medicine and other humanitarian supplies to Iraq and for people embarking on a 12-hour overland trip to Baghdad.

Al-Karameh is 260 miles northeast of the Jordanian capital, Amman.

[RonF]

I was initially confused about the headline. Out here in Chicagoland, Jordan is a basketball player, not a country. Of course, it's easy to tell the difference. The basketball player has more money.