September 7, 2006
British Museum offers to help Iran retrieve clay tablets
More details of the British Museum’s offer to help the Iranians in their case to stop the sale of impounded looted artefacts in the US.
From:
Iranmania
British Museum will help retrieve clay tablets
Thursday, September 07, 2006 – ©2005 IranMania.comLONDON, September 7 (IranMania) – Director of British Museum said in a meeting with the head of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei that the museum is ready to extend full cooperation in retrieving Iranian clay tablets from the US, which were give on loan to Chicago University.
According to IRNA, Neil MacGregor added that the British Museum has submitted a detailed letter to the university about ancient objects, which were confiscated on the ruling of a US federal court.
Referring to the exhibit titled ’Forgotten Empire’ in the museum, he said that by holding the event, the museum managed to attract a large number of visitors for the first time.He recalled that one of the positive outcomes of organizing such exhibits is that most of the media make special programs, thus introducing the Iranian culture and civilization.
MacGregor further stated in line with this, the BBC has ordered special programs on three important figures: Cyrus, founder of the Achaemenid dynasty, the Safavid king, Shah Abbas and the great Iranian poet Shamseddin Mohammad Hafez who have played a crucial role in shaping Iranian identity.
He also announced that an exhibition called ’Islamic Era’ will be held in British Museum in the near future with the aim of introducing the rich Iranian culture and civilization.
He said that a catalogue of coins from the Sassanid period maintained in Iran’s National Museum and British Museum has been prepared and will soon be published.
Rahim-Mashaei for his part said, “What has happened is not important for us in terms of politics and legal action since we have witnessed such cases for years.“
He added, “We believe in global unity and the items kept in great museums such as British Museum do not belong to a specific country; rather they belong to the whole world,“ he concluded.
- British Museum steps into Iranian artefact row : September 5, 2006
- Date finalised for Cyrus Cylinder exhibit in Iran : December 1, 2009
- British Museum to loan Iran Cyrus Cylinder : September 11, 2004
- Iranian artefacts returning home : January 4, 2006
- British Museum cancels Iranian artefact loan : October 26, 2009
- Iran severs ties with France’s Louvre : November 16, 2011
- British Museum to lend Cyrus Cylinder to Iran : January 13, 2005
- Iran rejects claims made by Louvre : December 5, 2011