Iraq puts up 3,500-year-old artefact Gilgamesh Tablet on display after recovery from US

A small cuneiform clay tablet dating back to 3,500 years has been put on display in Iraq museum for first time in three decades. artefact, bearing a part of Epic of Gilgamesh, is one of world's oldest surviving works of literature, and it has w been restored after it was formally returned to Iraq by United States.

piece of artefact is one of 17,926 unique pieces of history recovered by Iraq from US, UK, Italy, Japan, and Nerlands over past few years, BBC reported, quoting Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein.

Priced at $1.7 million and kwn as Gilgamesh Clay Tablet, artefact was found in 1853 as a part of 12-tablet collection in heap of rubble from Assyrian King Assur Banipal library. It was looted from Iraq Museum during Gulf War in 1991 and later smuggled to US via many countries.

For 28 years historical piece of literary art was missing from Iraq until it reached Washington DC Museum of Bible after US authorities seized tablet in 2019. artwork was n handed over to Iraq embassy in US in September.

"This day represents a victory in face of desperate attempts of those why try to steal our great history and our ancient civilisation," Hussein said at a ceremony in Baghdad, as per BBC.

Taking to Twitter, Minister of Culture in Republic of Iraq, Hassan Nadhem, saluted efforts of Ministry of External Affairs for establishing and continuing efforts towards "recovery diplomacy" between Iraq and US.

As reported by BBC, tablet was off radar between 1991 to 2003 after it was bought by an antiques dealer in London. It was later shipped to US illegally. It was sold several times at auction in different countries before it was bought by Hobby Lobby, an arts and crafts firm, in 2014.

Gilgamesh Dream Tablet

Gilgamesh Dream Tablet contains a portion of Epic of Gilgamesh written in Akkadian langu. It has been logged in cuneiform script, a system used in ancient Mesopotamia, BBC said. Dream tablet was discovered in 1853 in rrn Iraq.

events described in tablet recount a part of Epic in which King Gilgamesh explained his dreams to his mor. He narrated arrival of a friend who was to become a companion in his life. Epic is of Gilgamesh in its entirety is a mythological story based on a real king who ruled sometime between 2,800 and 2,500 BC.

(Im: @HassanNadhem/Twitter)