News – Yemen: Yemeni archaeology expert Abdullah Mohsen exposed the sale of a substantial collection of rare Yemeni artifacts on Sunday at the renowned Apollo auction in Britain.

These valuable artifacts were illicitly transported out of Yemen through the involvement of the Emirati occupation and its Yemeni mercenaries.

Mohsen disclosed in a post on his X account that the auctioned assortment of archaeological treasures comprises items from diverse ancient Yemeni civilizations. Notably, three pieces were highlighted: a bronze camel, a marble tombstone of a man, and a pair of gold pendant earrings.

The Yemeni activist and expert emphasized that the collection features three cast bronze standing camels from the 2nd century BCE. Each camel exhibits raised ears, a single hump, and a short tail, adorned with a corroded surface patina in varying shades of blue, green, red, and brown.

He affirmed that the current possessor of these artifacts is "The Ancient Art Gallery in London," which acquired them from the IN-WAI-SEE collection. Yemeni bronze and copper artifacts are prevalent in museums and international auctions, with the Munich Museum (Möller: 1999), the British Museum, and several American museums housing various bronze camels.

The looting of Yemeni antiquities is not a recent phenomenon but has intensified since the commencement of the US-Saudi aggression on Yemen. This was corroborated in a previous report by the Hudhud Center for Archaeological Studies, revealing that over 2,600 Yemeni artifacts were sold during the aggression period. The majority of these sales occurred in the United States, totaling over $12 million for 2,150 pieces. The enemy's entity ranked third in terms of the number of sold pieces, reaching 500 archaeological artifacts.

The report also meticulously documented the number of Yemeni antiquities exhibited in prominent international auction houses from 1991 to 2022. Over this period, more than four thousand Yemeni pieces were sold in six Western countries through 16 global American and European auctions. What has been observed is only the tip of the iceberg, with a greater extent of concealed activity.

On the path of plunder that affected Yemeni antiquities, archaeological and tourist sites in Yemen have suffered systematic destruction. The US-Saudi aggression led to the destruction of approximately 270 archaeological sites and 360 tourist facilities over the years, as part of a deliberate policy targeting Yemen's history and various aspects of life in the country.

The brutal war, which claimed human lives and ravaged the very stones of this nation, did not spare Yemen's history—a testament to the deep roots of the land and the authenticity of its citizens.