Yemen,The largest temples of Marib are being smuggled

Smugglers, backed by Hadi government officials, continued, on Thursday, the process of looting the antiquities of the city of Marib and smuggling them abroad targeting one of the most important archaeological temples in the city.

Anis Mansour, a consultant at Hadi’s embassy in Riyadh, revealed an unprecedented level of smuggling the archaeological panels from the Awam temple, noting that the official departments in Hadi’s government are aware of the matter, in reference to the involvement of officials in the operation.

Since the beginning of the war, Yemeni antiquities appeared in international auctions and exhibitions, some of which were sold to Qatar and others to the Emirates, while others were deposited in a Western Museum.

Most of these relics and treasures were smuggled from areas under the control of the so called “legitimacy”, specifically in Shabwa and Marib.