Yemen's National Museum damaged in Israeli airstrikes, artifacts at risk

Israeli airstrikes last week struck Sana’a and al-Jawf province, causing damage to the National Museum of Yemen in the capital, as reported by the Houthi culture ministry. The attacks resulted in 46 fatalities and 165 injuries, according to Reuters. Video footage from Associated Press on 11 September revealed the building's facade with shattered windows and doors. Archaeologist Amida Sholan, a professor at Sana’a University, informed The Art Newspaper that the damage affected the main hall, where artifacts and photographs are displayed, along with storage rooms. Sholan warned that the collection, including pre-Islamic sculptures and ancient items, faces looting risks due to compromised security. The Houthi ministry has appealed to UNESCO for intervention to safeguard the collection and the early-twentieth-century structure, which became a museum in 1971. The condition of artifacts inside remains uncertain.