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Sudan Recovers 570 Artifacts Looted During War

Artifacts that were recovered after being looted from the National Museum in Khartoum during the country's long-running war, are displayed during an official ceremony in Port Sudan on January 13, 2026. (AFP)
Artifacts that were recovered after being looted from the National Museum in Khartoum during the country's long-running war, are displayed during an official ceremony in Port Sudan on January 13, 2026. (AFP)
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Sudan Recovers 570 Artifacts Looted During War

Artifacts that were recovered after being looted from the National Museum in Khartoum during the country's long-running war, are displayed during an official ceremony in Port Sudan on January 13, 2026. (AFP)
Artifacts that were recovered after being looted from the National Museum in Khartoum during the country's long-running war, are displayed during an official ceremony in Port Sudan on January 13, 2026. (AFP)

Sudanese authorities displayed ancient figurines, ornate vases and scarab-shaped amulets at a ceremony Tuesday in Port Sudan celebrating the recovery of more than 570 antiquities stolen from the national museum during the country's long-running war.

The artifacts, arranged on large tables under heavy security, were recovered after months of investigation and brought to the wartime capital of Port Sudan.

The National Museum in Khartoum, which housed some of Sudan's most important archaeological collections, was looted and badly damaged after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized the capital in the early days of its war with the army, its former ally.

At the time, satellite images showed trucks carrying artifacts west, towards the vast region of Darfur -- now completely under RSF control.

Since then, Sudanese authorities have worked with UNESCO and Interpol to track down the stolen items.

Authorities did not detail on Tuesday exactly how the artifacts were recovered.

"Sudan heritage is not only of national importance, it is a treasure of humanity," said UNESCO's representative in Sudan, Ahmed Junaid, referring to international efforts to combat illicit trafficking of cultural property.

"Many people do not know the value of the objects displayed on the tables, but they reflect the identity of the nation and its history," said Sudan's finance minister Gibril Ibrahim.

Khalid Aleisir, minister of information and culture, announced a "financial reward" for anyone returning antiquities to the authorities, without specifying an amount.

Officials estimate that the recovered items account for about 30 percent of the objects looted from the museum.

Still missing are the contents of the so-called "gold room", the museum's most valuable collection, which included ancient jewellery and 24-carat gold pieces, some nearly 8,000 years old.

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Culture

Pakistan's Last Antique Restorers Give Old Treasures New Life

Restorer Shakeel Ahmed works on an antique at his workshop in Rawalpindi. Farooq NAEEM / AFP
Restorer Shakeel Ahmed works on an antique at his workshop in Rawalpindi. Farooq NAEEM / AFP
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Pakistan's Last Antique Restorers Give Old Treasures New Life

Restorer Shakeel Ahmed works on an antique at his workshop in Rawalpindi. Farooq NAEEM / AFP
Restorer Shakeel Ahmed works on an antique at his workshop in Rawalpindi. Farooq NAEEM / AFP

Sitting outside his small shop in a warren of alleyways in the ancient Pakistani city of Rawalpindi, Ahsan Shakeel buffed an antique brass pot to a high shine, pressing it against a mechanized wheel.

"We've removed all the dents, but it still needs polishing," the 72-year-old restorer, among the last still practising his craft, told AFP as the spinning buffer sent fine metal dust into the air.

Quitting a job as a hotel cook, Shakeel followed in his father's footsteps to become an antiques restorer, opening his workshop in the Bhabra Bazaar market in densely populated Rawalpindi in 1980.

Today, he is one of the last master restorers preserving antique metalware in Pakistan.

Rawalpindi's roots stretch back to prehistoric human settlements and over centuries the garrison city evolved into a major commercial hub where metalcraft from the Mughal and British colonial periods converged.

Moving inside his shop, Shakeel navigated wall-to-wall shelves stacked with centuries-old ewer jugs, samovars for boiling, dishes, jars and teapots, most of which were made of copper or brass.

He took down various items and enthusiastically explained to AFP their materials and origins.

The vintage items are now increasingly rare in the modern era in which they have been replaced by stainless steel and plastic kitchenware.

"I used to travel everywhere, Lahore, Gujranwala, Karachi, back and forth (to purchase antiques)," he said.

- 'Life back into the dead' -

Shakeel procures the items he restores mostly from scrap yards, ports, or household clearances.

"Often, the condition of the items is so bad that no one would buy them," he said.

The shop owner and his colleague Shakeel Ahmed restore the battered items by hammering out dents, re-tinning the interiors over coal fires, and polishing the metal. A badly damaged item could take a few days to fix.

After restoration, a piece can sell between $100 and $1,000. Shakeel's customers are mostly collectors or antique enthusiasts, including foreigners.

Today, he mostly relies on online platforms and messaging applications to buy and sell antiques.

"I don't have the same health anymore, so I travel less," he said.

Prices for antiques are on the increase but the number of customers has fallen over time, Shakeel said.

"The money doesn't turn over quickly in this business. It's a very slow trade," he said.

"Customers who still exist, they are not many. They collect these things because they understand these items. Those who don't understand them would think it's all useless," Shakeel added.

Ahmed said he enjoyed restoring worn and damaged objects because they carry stories within them from different communities in the past or historical periods.

"This is a very old thing," the 56-year-old man said at his own dimly lit workshop, as he gently used a small hammer to smooth out little dents on a large brass hookah pipe for smoking tobacco.

"What we do is like putting life back into the dead," Ahmed said.

Culture

Qassim Artisans Repurpose Date Pits into Value-Added Prayer Beads

Qassim Region are converting discarded date pits into handcrafted prayer beads (subha)
Qassim Region are converting discarded date pits into handcrafted prayer beads (subha)
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Qassim Artisans Repurpose Date Pits into Value-Added Prayer Beads

Qassim Region are converting discarded date pits into handcrafted prayer beads (subha)
Qassim Region are converting discarded date pits into handcrafted prayer beads (subha)

In a creative convergence of traditional heritage, sustainable manufacturing, and resource efficiency, artisans in Qassim Region are converting discarded date pits into handcrafted prayer beads (subha), transforming an agricultural by-product into a high-value consumer item, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The production journey involves a multi-stage process encompassing sorting, cleaning, drying, precise drilling, sanding, polishing, stringing, and final packaging. The resulting product retains the natural texture, color variations, and contours of the palm seed, reflecting the Kingdom's broader drive to foster innovative secondary industries across the date value chain.

The production journey involves a multi-stage process encompassing sorting, cleaning, drying, precise drilling, sanding, polishing, stringing, and final packaging.

Speaking to the Saudi Press Agency, artisan Noura Al-Harbi explained that the craft requires meticulous manual skill. She stated that after selecting pits of comparable size, artisans drill them for threading, buff rough contours, and polish the surfaces to showcase their organic aesthetic before assembling them with regional decorative motifs. Because no two date pits are identical, each finished rosary possesses a distinct texture and individuality.

Al-Harbi emphasized that the market value of date-pit rosaries is elevated by their symbolic connection to the date palm, a central fixture of Saudi agricultural and cultural identity. This narrative creates strong commercial potential within cultural tourism, corporate gifts, and keepsake sectors, allowing visitors to acquire a product directly tied to local heritage.

The enterprise embodies principles of the circular economy by repurposing agricultural waste from farms and processing plants into marketable craft products. Al-Harbi noted that integrating semi-automated tools for drilling and cutting with manual finishing could scale production volumes while maintaining artisanal quality.

Bridging agriculture, creative entrepreneurship, and tourism, the craft highlights how supporting local artisans and modernizing packaging can expand the economic footprint of the Kingdom's date sector beyond food consumption, creating new avenues for sustainable cottage industries.

Culture

Riyadh Art Brings Monumental Works by Saudi Artist Mohammed Al Saleem to its Permanent Collection of Public Art

Created by Saudi-based architecture and engineering consultancy Omrania, the Western Metro Station reinterprets desert sand dunes through earth-colored forms that define entrances - SPA
Created by Saudi-based architecture and engineering consultancy Omrania, the Western Metro Station reinterprets desert sand dunes through earth-colored forms that define entrances - SPA
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Riyadh Art Brings Monumental Works by Saudi Artist Mohammed Al Saleem to its Permanent Collection of Public Art

Created by Saudi-based architecture and engineering consultancy Omrania, the Western Metro Station reinterprets desert sand dunes through earth-colored forms that define entrances - SPA
Created by Saudi-based architecture and engineering consultancy Omrania, the Western Metro Station reinterprets desert sand dunes through earth-colored forms that define entrances - SPA

Riyadh Art announced the addition of seven monumental sculptures by pioneering Saudi artist Mohammed Al Saleem to the Riyadh Art permanent collection. Six works have been installed at Western Metro Station on Line 3 (Orange Line) in Riyadh, with the seventh scheduled for installation at a later date.

The sculptures bring an important part of Al Saleem's artistic practice into the city for which they were originally conceived.

Created in 1985 for a Riyadh Municipality public art competition but never installed, the seven works remained in Al Saleem's workshop for decades. In 2022, the Royal Commission for Riyadh City acquired the sculptures and undertook their restoration and conservation, supervised by his daughter, Najla Mohammed Al Saleem, and Al Saleem's foundation, Dar Al-Funoon Al-Sa'udiyyah, to preserve the artist's original vision, SPA reported.

The seven works are Al Showkah Al Khumasiyah (The Pentagon Thorn), Shurfa (Parapet Merlon), Al Kurah (The Ball), Al Mouthalathat (The Triangles), Bur'aum Al Zahrah (The Flower Bud), and Al Ahilla (The Crescents), all installed this August, with Al Nafourah Al Halazouniyah (The Spiral Fountain) due to be installed at a later date. Drawing on desert landscapes, Najdi architecture, geometric forms, and celestial references, the sculptures reflect Al Saleem's distinctive approach to abstraction and the influence of Riyadh and Najd on his practice.

Created by Saudi-based architecture and engineering consultancy Omrania, the Western Metro Station reinterprets desert sand dunes through earth-colored forms that define entrances, allow natural light, and provide shade for pedestrians. Located within Western Station's outdoor plaza, the works bring these references into a contemporary public setting shaped by movement and connection.

"Mohammed Al Saleem holds an important place in the history of modern Saudi art, and his work is deeply connected to Riyadh and the landscape and architecture of Najd," said Senior Director of Riyadh Art Bader AlShenaifi. "Bringing these works into the Riyadh Art permanent collection preserves an important part of Saudi Arabia's artistic heritage while giving Al Saleem's work a lasting presence in the public life of the city that inspired so much of his practice."

The works join the Riyadh Art permanent collection, a citywide collection of public artworks installed across neighborhoods, public spaces, and major transport corridors throughout the capital. The Riyadh Art permanent collection now comprises 82 artworks across the capital.