Turkey has returned six ancient cuneiform clay tablets to Iraq in a ceremony held at the Ankara Museum.
The six cuneiform clay tablets, dating back to the Third Ur, Old Akkadian, and Old Babylonian periods (24th to 18th centuries BCE), contain economic, administrative, and religious content. They were determined to be of Iraqi origin through scientific examinations conducted by experts from the Istanbul Archaeology Museums.
The analysis and historical classification of the artifacts were carried out by Prof. Dr. Selim Ferruh Adalı.
One of the tablets was identified as dating to the Third Ur Period (22nd–21st centuries BCE) and is written in the Sumerian alphabet, containing a list mostly consisting of priest names. Another tablet, dating to the ancient Akkadian period (24th–23rd centuries BCE), lists sheep and goat species and records payments made for these animals. A third tablet, arranged for daily transactions, is dated to the years of King Ibbi-Sin of the Third Ur period (21st century BCE). The writing style and terms used in the tablets point to southern Iraqi centers like Umma.
The Iraqi government has launched what has come to be known as "recovery diplomacy" as part of its efforts to recover looted artifacts. Mawra Abdulil, Director of the Recovery Department at the General Authority for Antiquities and Heritage, stated that the government began three years ago to activate this diplomacy. There is close cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Iraqi embassies around the world to enhance this effort.
The event was attended by Turkey's Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Gökhan Yazgı and Iraq's Ambassador to Ankara, Majid Abdulreda Hassan Al-Lachmawi.
Assisted by a news-analysis system.