The administration's authority to recover smuggled Iraqi antiquities

Abstract

The land of Iraq is an area rich in natural resources and historical monuments that represent ancient civilizations that lived on this land. These monuments include the antiquities of the various civilizations that disputed with each other over this land, and the most important of these monuments is the famous city of Babylon and other cities. There has been a great deal of interest in these antiquities and monuments, however, some of these sites have been vandalized by excavations and the illegal trade in antiquities. Many Iraqi antiquities were smuggled out of the country, whether by individuals or by some countries and political and military organizations. Among the most important smuggling operations that took place in Iraq were those that took place after 2003, when the US military invaded Iraq. The search for antiquities is important because of their cultural value and the risks they face in Iraq due to theft and smuggling, as Iraqi antiquities are exposed to danger due to illegal excavations, wars and armed conflicts that Iraq has gone through, and there is a need to identify the competent administrative authorities, procedures and means to protect antiquities, and the main problem in the research is A statement of the procedures taken by the administration in order to protect and recover Iraqi antiquities, and the analytical and applied approach is used to analyze legal texts and to indicate the procedures of the competent administrative authorities and some applications related to the recovery of smuggled antiquities.