US returns ancient looted treasures to Syria
US authorities have returned to Syria “extraordinary” Roman mosaics and other looted treasures seized from a suspected Lebanese trafficker and a renowned American collector, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office has said. Some of the pieces were smuggled out of Syria during the country's 2011-2024 civil war , while others had been missing since at least the 1980s, according to District…
In a historic move, the United States has returned 36 ancient treasures to Syria, including Roman mosaics and a stone relief looted from the ancient desert kingdom of Palmyra. The artifacts, valued at $5 million, were seized from a suspected Lebanese trafficker and an American collector. Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara received the items at a New York ceremony attended by Tom Barrack, Trump's envoy to Syria.
The return of the treasures marks a significant step in Syria's international rehabilitation efforts. Among the returned items is a stone relief from Palmyra, which was under ISIS control between 2015 and 2016. The mosaics and relief were part of a larger investigation into the trafficking of artifacts into New York, with some pieces originating from a $70 million haul seized from art collector Michael Steinhardt and another from a trafficker named Eugene Alexander. The return of the artifacts brings a part of Syria's history back to its rightful place.
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