France Returns 25,000 Seized Prehistoric Artifacts to Morocco

Morocco recovered these pieces on Thursday during a ceremony held at the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations (MuCEM) in Marseille. The Deputy Regional Director of Customs and Indirect Duties of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA) region handed over the objects to the Consul General of Morocco in Marseille, Saïd Bakhkhar, in the presence of representatives of the ministries in charge of Culture and Foreign Affairs of France and Morocco, and the French customs.

In total, there are 24,459 fossil and archaeological objects, trilobites, teeth, animal skulls and jaws, arrowheads and chipped tools, rock carvings from pre-Saharan and Anti-Atlas sites that have been recovered. These objects date back 500 million years and to the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods. The customs of Arles and Perpignan had intercepted these archaeological objects between November 2005 and November 2006 during three successive seizures.

The Moroccan Ambassador to France, Chakib Benmoussa, did not fail to express his gratitude and congratulate the French customs services for their vigilance. "I can only be pleased with the return of this collection to Morocco, its country of origin..." he said. "This handover testifies to the common will of our two countries to join forces against the illicit trafficking of cultural property..." emphasized the Consul General of Morocco in Marseille, Saïd Bakhkhar. "This heritage will find its homeland and will be exhibited to the Moroccan public," said the National Director of Moroccan Heritage at the Ministry of Culture, Youssef Khiara.

The recovery of these archaeological objects is part of the action plan of the Ministry of Culture aimed at protecting heritage and combating the illicit trafficking of cultural property, particularly movable heritage. It is also part of Morocco’s and France’s international commitments related to the implementation of the 1970 UNESCO Convention, which defines the legal framework for the prohibition and prevention of the import, export and transfer of ownership of cultural property. This convention has been ratified by Morocco and France.