ERBIL, Iraq The cargo of the plane carrying the Iraqi prime minister arrived in Baghdad last Wednesday after a visit to the United States. It contained 17,000 artifacts from the Iraqi archaeology.As the Iraqi Culture Ministry took possession of the cultural treasures, plywood crates containing thousands of clay tablets from Mesopotamia were placed next to a table that displayed a few artifacts.This remarkable chapter of the history of a country so devastated by war and conflict over decades ends with the repatriation so many objects. It is also a win in the global effort of countries to pressure Western institutions to return culturally important artifacts such as the Benin Bronzes that were repatriated to Nigeria.It's not about thousands of tablets returning to Iraq, it's about the people of Iraq, Hassan Nadhem (the Iraqi minister for culture, tourism, and antiquities) said in a telephone interview. It does more than just restore the tablets. It also boosts and supports the Iraqi identity during these difficult times.
