- Title: SAUDI ARABIA: Thousands of recovered antiquities displayed in Riyadh.
- Date: 13th February 2012
- Summary: RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA (FEBRAURY 11, 2012) (REUTERS) ROOM FULL OF ANCIENT ARTEFACTS AT NATIONAL MUSEUM IN RIYADH VARIOUS OF ARTEFACTS PHOTOGRAPHER TAKING PICTURES OF SCULTPURE WIDE OF NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEAD OF THE SAUDI COMMISSION FOR TOURISM AND ANTIQUITIES, PRINCE SULTAN BIN SALMAN, SAYING: "What has been recovered so far, and this is just at the beginning, are about 14,000 pieces from outside the Kingdom and more than 300-400 pieces, truly of the highest levels of importance, from inside of of the Kingdom." VARIOUS OF RETURNED ANTIQUITIES SIGN READING IN ARABIC A POTTERY -CLAY COOKING POT DATING BACK TO THE PERIOD 2000-3000 BC PRINCE SULTAN BIN SALMAN SHAKING HANDS WITH SAUDIS AND FOREIGNERS WHO HAVE RETURNED ANTIQUITIES TO THE MUSEUM (SOUNBITE) (Arabic) SAUDI CITIZEN WHO RETURNED ANTIQUITIES TO THE MUSEUM, SAEED SALEH, SAYING: "The returning of antiquities is a national duty, it belongs to the state and it is the duty of every citizen to return any piece he finds. Personally, I found a piece - a statue - which I returned 15 years ago." VARIOUS OF ANTIQUITIES AT THE MUSEUM PEOPLE AND VISITORS AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM (SOUNDBITE) (English) AMERICAN CITIZENS WHO HAS RETURNED ANTIQUITIES TO SAUDI ARABIA, ELEANOR P. NICHOLS SAYING: "We began to find artefacts and in Madaen and Fallah we found salt rind stones and outside Taima we found one stone that had writing on it and so we took them back to America and now I've sent them all back to Saudi Arabia." VARIOUS OF ASSISTANT PROF.DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY,UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-WHITEWATER, DR. JO BURKHOLDER, LOOKING AT BROCHURE OF SAUDI ANTIQUITIES SOUNDBITE(English) ASSISTANT PROF.DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY,UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-WHITEWATER, DR.JO BURKHOLDER, SAYING: "It is wonderful to have the culture of Saudi Arabia being returned to Saudi Arabians." PICTURES OF ANCIENT SITES TV SCREEN SHOWING DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE ON STOLEN SAUDI ANTIQUITIES VARIOUS OF ISLAMIC COINS RETURNED FROM AMERICA VARIOUS OF HUMAN HEAD MADE OF MARBLE FROM THE FIRST CENTURY BC
- Embargoed: 28th February 2012 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia
- Country: Saudi Arabia
- Topics: Crime,Accidents,Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz
- Reuters ID: LVAF45K5E5O62UP7J9PGE70YMW7U
- Story Text: Saudi Arabia places a collection of 14,000 artefacts on display after a campaign to see items of cultural importance returned to the country.
Saudi Arabia has amassed a huge collection of ancient artefacts after a national campaign to see antiquities, that had been removed from the country, returned.
The thousands of pieces have been placed on display in the National Museum in Riyadh.
"What has been recovered so far, and this is just at the beginning, are about 14,000 pieces from outside the Kingdom and more than 300-400 pieces, truly of the highest levels of importance, from inside of of the Kingdom," said the Head of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, Prince Sultan Bin Salman.
The National Exhibition for Retrieved Artefacts was launched on Saturday (February 11) on the sidelines of the 27th Janadriyah National Heritage and Cultural Festival.
On Saturday Prince Sultan Bin Salman honoured many of the individuals, both Saudis and foreigners, who had helped to return the relics.
One of those, a Saudi citizen, said he felt it was his national duty to return the artefacts he possesed.
"The returning of antiquities is a national duty, it belongs to the state and it is the duty of every citizen to return any piece he finds. Personally, I found a piece - a statue - which I returned 15 years ago," said Saeed Saleh.
Eleanor Nichols, an American citizen who lived in Saudi Arabia in the 1950s and 1960s, said she had returned artefacts she had discovered in the Saudi desert a generation ago.
"We began to find artefacts and in Madaen and Fallah we found salt rind stones and outside Taima we found one stone had writing on it and so we took them back to America and now I've sent them all back to Saudi Arabia," said Nichols.
Dr Jo Burkholder, assistant professor from the American University of Wisconsin-Whiteqwater said it was a good thing that the campaign had been so successful in returning the artefacts to their country of origin.
"It is wonderful to have the culture of Saudi Arabia being returned to Saudi Arabians," said Burkholder. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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