A collection of Glazed Bricks dating back to 700 BC and stolen from an archeological site in Iran has completely retracted to Iran.
According to ISNA, quoting Art Newspaper, two large Bricks from this collection have recently been returned to Iran. Earlier in 2020, 49 Glazed Bricks returned to the National Museum of Iran.
The 51 glazed bricks discovered, most of which are more than 30 square centimeters in size, have motifs, including winged lions and cows with human heads, mythical figures, birds of prey, deer, and floral or geometric designs. The most important archeological sites in western Iran, located north of the city of Buchan near the Iraqi border, were stolen. Qalaichi was the capital of the Manichaean kingdom.
In the 1970s, a farmer from the plowing area of Qalaichi came across these decorated bricks, which probably belong to the columned hall of Qalaichi Citadel. The discovery led to highly destructive illegal excavations and, in some cases, bulldozers.
Finally, in 1985, a formal Glazed Bricks rescue operation began but was quickly halted due to the escalation of the Iran-Iraq war. Illegal excavations continued for 14 years until 1999, when another official excavation, was launched, but the result was the discovery of only small pieces of broken bricks.
In 1991, an Iranian antique dealer living in Switzerland contacted John Curtis, the director of the Middle East section of the British Museum, to sell a collection of Qalaichi antiques.
The Glazed Bricks remained in the warehouse, but in 2008 the warehouse owners acted after the warehouse bill was not paid. Anbar obtained permission to seize the contents, and Swiss officials found out about the bricks.
The discovery of these Glazed Bricks led to a revision of the Manichaean civilization because it shows that its people were very skilled artists in their designs, like winged cows with human heads. Also, show a great deal of influence from the Assyrians.
With the improvement of the coronary conditions, an exhibition of these ancient decorative bricks will be held first in the Buchan Real Museum and then in the National Museum of Iran.