TEHRAN - Three ancient glazed bricks, dating back to c. 800 BC, have been returned to Iran, brought home by Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf after his participation in the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Summit in Geneva.

Qalibaf, who returned to Tehran on Tuesday evening, announced the repatriation of these historical artifacts in a brief statement to the media, CHTN reported.

Speaking about the significance of the relics, Qalibaf said, “The bricks date back to 800 years before Christ.”

These bricks, adorned with natural animal motifs typical of ancient Iranian art, were retrieved through coordinated efforts by the Iranian Embassy in Switzerland.

Qalibaf emphasized that the bricks will be handed over to Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Ministry, adding, “We are pleased that we had the opportunity to return these valuable objects, which hold importance for the history and civilization of Iran, to the Iranian people.”

While details regarding how the bricks originally left Iran and the process of their return were not provided, the return of these artifacts is considered a significant cultural achievement for the country, contributing to the preservation of its ancient heritage.

In 2001, a collection of the same glazed bricks was discovered in a warehouse in Switzerland. The looted 2,700-year-old bricks are associated with the Mannaean civilization. In the same year, 51 pieces of the glazed bricks, most just over one square foot in size, were retuned home.  

They have a wide variety of motifs: winged lions and bulls with human heads, mythological figures, birds of prey, deer and floral or geometric designs. They come from Qalaichi, one of the most important archaeological sites in western Iran, which is just north of the north-western city of Boukan, near the Iraqi border. Qalaichi was the capital of the Mannaean kingdom.

AM