An antiquities expert revealed smuggling and illegal sales of gold and jewelry from Al-Jawf temples in jewelry showrooms in Sanaa and markets abroad, after they were illegally extracted from temples and archaeological sites in Al-Jawf Governorate and then sold through famous brokers, the majority of whom are affiliated with the Houthi militia.

Abdullah Mohsen, an antiquities expert, indicated on the Facebook platform that these antiquities pass to local smugglers, and are then smuggled abroad through land and sea border crossings and airports.

Expert Mohsen explained, “The ease of hiding antique jewelery within personal luggage makes it difficult to seize it and stop its smuggling, especially with the weak technical competence of customs officers at the ports.”

According to Mohsen, “recently, many cases of pictures of antique jewelry being circulated in the Salt Market, Old Sana’a, and a number of gold exhibitions, Hazm Al-Jawf, Ataq (Shabwa), Aden, and Ibb have been monitored.”

He confirmed: “We were able to obtain pictures of some of these groups, including a gold necklace consisting of 18 pieces, including 9 wrapped gold sheets and a pendant.”

He pointed out that among those displayed antiquities was “a golden amulet in the shape of a crescent with a Musandi inscription, and a large assortment of pendants, earrings, rings and other types of gold, similar to Yemeni antique jewelry at auctions and many museums.”

The specialist Mohsen noted that “most of the pictures displayed are of antiquities smuggled abroad, and large quantities are still displayed in the markets, in light of the chaos that dominates the archaeological sites and temples, and the almost complete inability of the official authorities.”

During the past years, reports revealed the involvement of Houthi leaders in the process of looting Yemeni antiquities in areas under their control, and smuggling them to foreign markets, in an illegal trade carried out by the militia to supplement its financial assets at the expense of Yemen’s historical and cultural identity.