In a significant cultural and historical event, the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in Washington celebrated the return of the Ibex Statue to its homeland. This achievement represents more than the recovery of a precious artifact; it reaffirms Iraq’s natural place as the cradle of human civilization and reflects the genius of our ancestors in metal artistry more than four and a half millennia ago.
The Ibex Statue was crafted using the lost-wax casting technique with a hollow clay core, making it one of the earliest testimonies to the advancement of metal arts in Mesopotamian civilization. This accomplishment was made possible through cooperation with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, along with other U.S. institutions, where all parties worked diligently to ensure the return of this rare piece to Iraq.
The Republic of Iraq extends its deep gratitude to U.S. cultural and governmental institutions, particularly the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as to our partners at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (ICE), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the New York County District Attorney’s Office – Antiquities Trafficking Unit, whose collaboration played a vital role in achieving this success.
This recovery is not merely the return of an antiquity, but also a testament to the Iraqi–American partnership, and a strengthening of bilateral relations through cultural and scientific cooperation, reflecting the depth and resilience of this partnership.