Smuggled antiquities from conflict zones are finding their way to Gulf countries, including Bahrain, warned a top official.

The sale of stolen artefacts from Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Libya has been generating revenues for terror groups such as the Islamic State (IS), said Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage director Mounir Bouchenaki.

He spoke to the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication, yesterday (April 22) after a shipment, containing a rare archaeological piece from Lebanon, was intercepted by Bahraini customs officials.

“We have noticed a deliberate attack on cultural heritage by these groups, which is a dramatic change in conflicts,” he said on the sidelines of a Press conference held at the International Peace Institute (IPI) Mena regional office at the Harbour House at Bahrain Financial Harbour.

“They want to intentionally damage valuable artefacts, archaeological sites, churches and museums on a larger scale than we have ever seen.”

He referred to video footage that emerged in February showing Islamic State militants armed with sledgehammers destroying ancient artefacts dating back 3,000 years at a museum in Mosul.

They also destroyed Nirgal Gate, one of several gates to Ninevah, the onetime capital of the Assyrian Empire.

“They are filming all these terrible acts and glorifying their acts of destruction,” said Bouchenaki.

“Our colleagues in Bahrain have also informed us of an [art] object that was seized by customs officials.”

He did not reveal details of the smuggled piece but confirmed it was from Lebanon on its way to another destination via Bahrain.

A task force has also been set up by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation to preserve cultural heritage sites in Iraq.

“I cannot give an estimate of the total worth of the antiquities destroyed or stolen because we cannot send a technical team due to security concerns to these countries to assess the damage done,” added Bouchenaki.

He said Italian authorities have proposed the creation of a UN peacekeeping force to protect the world's heritage sites. He added they were trying to work with the Red Cross and Red Crescent who have staff on the ground in conflict zones to protect the artefacts. - TradeArabia News Service