Ishtartv.com - ina.iq

16-01-2025

The Iraqi Embassy in London received an ancient tablet dating back to the Assyrian era from Britain on Thursday during the opening ceremony of the Iraqi Cultural Center in London.

The opening was attended by the Minister of Culture, the PM's Advisor for Cultural Affairs, and the Iraqi Ambassador to the United Kingdom, as part of the official visit of PM Muhammed S. Al-Sudani, according to a statement by the PM Media Office - received by the Iraqi News Agency - INA. 

The Minister delivered a speech during the opening on behalf of the Prime Minister, in which he stressed that "the opening of the cultural center is an important step to invest in Iraq's cultural heritage and activate the role of Iraqi intellectuals, elites, and artists abroad, as this has an important impact in enhancing Iraq's cultural position on the international scene, which the government is keen on in this field."

He pointed out that "the cultural center in London represents a symbol of national identity and Iraqi unity; as it relies on the Iraqi intellectual to introduce the civilization and history of Iraq. It also constitutes an important means of communication and interaction with Iraqis in the diaspora, and to benefit from their role in expressing the identity of their country." 

On the other hand, the Iraqi embassy in London received from the British side a rare artifact, "an Assyrian tablet dating back to (883 and 859) BC, which represents the upper part of a winged genie that decorated the northwestern palace at the archaeological site of Nimrud." 

He explained that "the weight of the archaeological tablet is (333) kg, while its length is (115) cm from the right side of the viewer and (110) cm from the left side. Its width is (110) cm, and its thickness is (11) cm on one side and (12) cm on the other side."