[23/June/2009]

By: Marzooq Yasin

Translated by: Mahmoud Assamiee

ADEN, June, 23 (Saba)-Manager of General Authority for Antiquities and Museums' Aden Branch Raja'a Ba-Taweel unearthed details concerning looting antique wealth from Aden National Museum for Antiquities of 858 Auxom coins and 326 Roman muniments.

The museum is described by antique expert Stewart Hai when he discovered it in Lahj, 70 km west of Aden, as the most amazing treasure. Ba-Tawil affirmed in a dialogue with Saba that investigations on looting complete album of gold pieces of very historical importance from a store of Aden National Museum (ANM), are still going on.

She talked about situations of Aden's museums and their suffering of lacking to capabilities and easiest factors help them on performing their duties well. She held the authority and ministry's leaders accountable on following up the looting case given that the looted antique pieces are approved.

The following dialogue with ba-Tawil has more about the issue.

Q: What about investigations on the robbery of Antique pieces from ANM?
A: Concerned bodies are still investigating the case.

Q: When did you sensed the looting and hiding antique pieces which are golden coins?
A: In fact, there was no thing hints to umbrage and anxiety in the beginning. But when inventory began last February-as usual- a committee for has been formed to conduct the duty. When the committee started inventory, links of the crime began to raise. The committee reported on loosing the album of the coins and a number of assets, in addition to finding scratches and changes in the origins and other matters in the store.

Hence, we communicated with concerned bodies and closed the store with additional locks till investigations are closed after arresting the director of the museum and taking his talks and confessions. The manager hesitated before to show these coins during the visit of academic Saudi delegation to Aden University by the pretext that he forgot keys at home.

Q: What is the importance of the looted pieces?
A: The civilized worth of these pieces amazed scientist. They are treasure discovered in al-Madhariba area, Lahj governorate. This treasure composed of coins to five Romanians emperors who lived in the forth century and 12 Auxom muniments to seven kings. Some types of them still unknown these coins date back to Constantine the Second before he had become emperor in 337 Before Christ and Theodosius Era who ruled in the fourth century.

Q: Where are the monitors? No comment.
Q: Through your initial investigations, how did this treasure comes out from the museum.. where is the security.. where are the monitors.. how do you put such important and valuable antiques at hands of thieves and ignorant people?

A: Due to importance of these assets, they have been put in well closed closets in the museum's store because our museums do not have modern observation and alerts system. The protection on the museum's cupboards is also limited so that they are not put in the show hall only in important occasions and then we give them enhanced protection in the show cupboards during the delegations' visits to see them. Sorrowfully, this keenness was worthless and the looting was conducted by the direct official, the director of the museum.

Q: Where were the workers and guards? How these pieces did came out from the museum. There are more questions on the case?
A: Investigations are still going on and I think that workers in the museum did not notice any thing under the very keenness of the manager. Besides, the museum has independent management working according specific routine and there special records to museums' managers over daily opening and closing. There was no thing hinting for doubt. No one of workers imagined happening such crime and by their manager.

Over taking out these pieces from the museum, investigations' records indicate that they were not taken al at one time, but the process took long time. The manager confessed that he was taking them separately to sell them in a gold store in Crator City in Aden. I do not rule out they have been smuggled. All possibilities are opened.

Q: What about the security of the museum. Where were they?
A: Concerning security, there is a default. But when it comes to the director, this incident was not expected. The security justifies that how they knew gold pieces could be put inside the cigarette box. Employees are working in the show hall where piece are kept in cupboards and they did not imagine what happened.

Administrative fault

Q: There may be administrative or routine fault in the museum or the authority encouraged on committing such crimes against history and homeland?

A: Despite all conditions and obstacles, the authority's office in Aden conducts its counting and observation every now and then in the museums and their assets. We have old and fixed records on documenting and preserving old pieces which started erosion. We also have scientific cards and studies on these pieces according to their postures which make the museum one of the regional ones in terms of performance. We have also daily records on workers. These records counts movements of the employees; opening and closure and coming and leaving which means the work is going as desired. The stolen pieces are documented and have been studied by specialized scientists. The coins are handed over as responsibility to the museum's officials.

Limited potentials

Q: When were these pieces have been exhibited last?
A: These assets exist inside special closets in the museum, however inspecting them was not cut in most high level activities and occasions the last of which were by an official in local authority where samples of those assets have been exhibited for attracting more care on them and providing necessary requirements to secure rare assets. These assets have bee also exhibited during visit of Syrian President Bashar al-Asad (the visit was canceled) and when former Mauritanian Muawiah Attaye'a visited Aden in 1999 and during celebration of the 40 anniversary of the 26th of September Revolution in 2001.

Q: In your opinion, who is responsible on what has been done?
A: We are so frustrated today; we do not have so many things to protect the museums. By our efforts, we have worked on having iron doors. Sorrowfully, a country's wealth has been looted by the official of the museum.

Q: Are all these are considered justifications to steal and losing this wealth?
A: What happened is a crime, treason and damage to the homeland. It has been done by the one supposed to be responsible official.

They might be fused and smuggled


Q: You already mentioned the looted things have been sold to goldsmith which means they might be fused or transformed into jewelry or do you think they have been smuggled?
A: The manager knows well the historical importance of these pieces. In fact all possibilities are suggested.

Q: Do you expect these pieces could be returned if approved smuggled?
A: The authority and the tourist ministry must work actively as well as the branch of the authority here. This is a country's wealth and the manager who stole them know their value and there are foreign channel could be communicated with in case these pieces are smuggled. Pieces smuggled in 1994 separation war have been restored.

Q: What future precautions to be taken to avoid such acts?
A: We are in need of more of potentials to protect antiquities. The antique's law is weak and inactive even it could be encouraging for robbery. The high humidity threatens spoil many antiquities.

We are in need to by-laws, systems and more active law to protect our antiquities. We need to deal more strictly with antique issues considering them homeland's wealth and memory and history of a country.






Saba