Members of the public are able to now view a display of 10 objects seized and repatriated by the United States government to Yemen. The objects include seven funerary steles (carved stones), a silver vessel, a bronze bowl and an alabaster ibex statue. At the request of the Republic of Yemen Government, a total of 79 objects are being temporarily stored at the National Museum of Asian Art until it is deemed safe for them to return. A selection of these repatriated objects will join the exhibition “Ancient Yemen: Incense, Art, and Trade,” which has been on view at the museum since Sept. 3, 2022. 

As the Smithsonian implements its shared stewardship and ethical returns policy, this partnership with Yemen will serve as an exemplary model of how U.S. museums can work with other countries to steward cultural objects and share them with broad audiences.

In February 2023, the National Museum of Asian Art announced this historic partnership to care for Yemeni objects, including a bronze bowl, 10 folios from early Qur’ans and 65 funerary stelae dated to the second half of the first millennium B.C. from northwest Yemen. The stone faces are carved in relief and characterized by wide-open eyes. Some show traces of pigment, while others bear the inscription of the name of the deceased. This important collection contributes to knowledge of ancient south Arabian onomastics (study of names) and funerary practices. The repatriation is a noteworthy moment as it is the first time in almost 20 years that the U.S. government has returned cultural property to Yemen. The previous repatriation in 2004 involved the return of a single funerary stele (carved stone) to the Yemeni embassy. The country has experienced heavy looting and destruction of its tangible cultural heritage since 2014 as a result of the conflict.

“On behalf of the people and Government of Yemen, we are thrilled to see Yemen retaking ownership of its cultural heritage,” said Mohammed Al-Hadhrami, the ambassador of the Republic of Yemen to the United States. “With the current situation in Yemen, it is not the right time to bring the objects back into the country. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art is a global leader in the field of cultural heritage and preservation. We are pleased to see these objects in their care.”

The National Museum of Asian Art engaged with the Yemeni community and listened to their perspectives to inform how these objects are interpreted in the exhibition. The object labels, besides providing information about the objects and their journey to the museum, call attention to Yemen’s cultural heritage, including quotes from Mohammed Al-Hadhrami and other members of the Yemeni and Yemeni–American community.