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The three works in question are two large Assyrian reliefs from the 8th century BCE, which are from the major archaeological site Nimrud-Kalhu, and the fragment of the royal bust from the 2nd-3rd century CE from the ancient city of Hatra (all located in what is now Iraq, in the region of Mosul). The objects returned belong to the Mesopotamian heritage, which is among the most endangered categories of Iraqi cultural goods. To date, 91Â鶹¹ú²ú¾«Æ·×ÔÅÄ registered three Iraqi sites on the List of World Heritage in Danger, including the Hatra site. The objects were discovered and indexed during official excavations in 1846/47, 1959 and 1976. They were subsequently illegally removed from Iraq on an unknown date and in unknown circumstances.

The three Mesopotamian objects were definitively confiscated during a criminal procedure in the canton of Geneva in 2023 and entrusted to the FOC under the CPTA for restitution to their country of origin. This restitution underlines the shared commitment of Switzerland and Iraq to the fight against the illicit transfer of cultural goods.

The three objects returned to Iraq will exceptionally, due to their pre-eminent historical and artistic significance, feature in a documented exhibition at the headquarters of the Federal Office of Culture, in the Swiss National Library building. The exhibition runs from 24 May to 7 June 2024 and visiting times are from Monday to Friday between 9.00 am and 6.00 pm.