Priceless antiquities from war-torn Afghanistan are going on display at the British Museum after they were saved from the black market by a keen-eyed customs official.
The sculptures, which once adorned the walls of fourth-century Buddhist monasteries, were found stuffed into “two badly made wooden crates” at Heathrow in 2002 on a flight from Peshawar, Pakistan.
From the ancient kingdom of Gandhara in modern Pakistan and Afghanistan, the artefacts include a stone torso of a Buddhist holy man, nine clay heads, and images of monks and worshippers. They will go on show in London before their return to the National Museum of Afghanistan.
The sculptures are part of a steady flow of stolen antiquities being returned to their countries of origin from the UK, including 154 clay writing tablets which will be sent to the Iraq Museum. St John Simpson, senior curator in the British Museum’s Middle East department, said it was impossible to put a value on the objects: “They’re priceless, and the return of each is a deeply symbolic gesture for the countries concerned.”
He said the museum was regularly tackling cases of illicit antiquities, with suspected stolen goods turning up at locations including Stansted and Heathrow. “The museum acts as the official administrator on stolen cultural heritage for all aspects of the British Government,” Mr Simpson added.
“We identify the objects … If they are genuine we try to discover if they are stolen from a museum or recently dug out of the ground … We can then notify the relevant national museum and arrange for their return.”
Identifying objects, arranging for their return, and the pursuit of often complicated legal cases means antiquities can be left in limbo for many years. Mr Simpson said most of the objects seized in the UK were not bound for this country but were in transit, having been sold on the black market.
The trade in illicit antiquities has been boosted by conflict in the Middle East. But Mr Simpson added: “The lack of anything coming out of Syria raises questions. It would seem that when Daesh [Islamic State] were in charge, rather than digging and selling for cash, they actually dug to destroy what they saw as symbols of the secular values they opposed.”
Another significant part of the trade, valued at millions of pounds by an Interpol report last year, is a rise in the sale of fakes, which are more easily passed off when sold online as they cannot be examined properly.
The museum’s role in battling the black market trade is examined in its annual review published today which reveals it has identified almost 700 artefacts stolen from Egypt and Sudan. Museum director Hartwig Fischer said: “War, conflict, climate change, globalisation, poverty and migration all play a part in the threats to cultural heritage.
“The museum adopts a systematic approach, working with many colleagues across the world to help preserve, train, conserve, document and understand material culture. Sadly, this work is more essential now than ever.”
