Iran unveils ancient clay tablets returned from U.S.

TEHRAN, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian unveiled a collection of ancient clay tablets on Tuesday, recently returned to Iran from the United States, according to the official news agency IRNA.
The ceremony took place at the National Museum of Iran and was attended by Reza Salehi Amiri, the Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, as well as Jebrael Nokandeh, the museum’s director.
During the event, Pezeshkian emphasized the importance of increasing public knowledge about Iran’s rich civilizational heritage and identity.
The newly unveiled collection consists of 1,100 clay tablets from the reign of Darius I, the third king of the Persian Empire (550-330 B.C.). They were returned to Iran in late September on Pezeshkian’s plane after his visit to New York for the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
These tablets were discovered in the 1930s by German archaeologist Ernst Emil Herzfeld during excavations at Persepolis, the ceremonial capital of the Persian Empire. They were later taken to the United States for research at the University of Chicago’s Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures, West Asia, and North Africa.
Previously, five batches have been sent back, including a collection of over 3,500 pieces returned in September 2023 by the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi after his visit to New York for the 78th session of the UNGA.
According to IRNA, approximately 8,100 clay tablets remain in the United States and are expected to be returned to Iran within the next five years. ■