PHNOM PENH; Eighteen Khmer artefacts and fragments dating from the 10th to 13th centuries have been presented to the Cambodian embassy in London ahead of their return to the Kingdom, where specialists will investigate their origins and historical connections to Cambodian communities.
The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts announced the handover in an October 30 statement.
The objects were recovered in London in November 2025 by the Metropolitan Police Service’s Art and Antiques Unit, with support from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s (OSCE) Heritage Crime Task Force.
After the objects were identified as originating from Cambodia, the ministry submitted a formal restitution request in September 2026. It will arrange their transportation to the Kingdom.
The collection includes stone sculptures, bronze ritual objects and jewellery fragments, offering evidence of the artistic craftsmanship and religious practices of the Angkor period.
Among the objects are a sandstone sculpture head in the Baphuon style, dating from the second half of the 11th century, and a Bayon-style sculpture head from the late 12th century.
Other pieces include a Buddhist bell with a vajra-shaped handle, dancing figures on a pedestal, decorative ornaments with pendants and a bronze lamp used in religious ceremonies.
According to the ministry, the objects reflect centuries of Khmer artistic achievement, traditions, religious beliefs and cultural life.
Their significance also extends beyond their artistic and historical value. The ministry explained that, in Khmer beliefs and traditions, consecrated statues are regarded as living beings with souls and as dwelling places of deities.
When sacred objects are removed from their original settings, communities lose both tangible heritage and important connections to their history, beliefs, customs and shared memories, it noted.
Once the objects arrive in Cambodia, specialists from the ministry and the National Museum of Cambodia will study them and compare their findings with field research and archaeological site records.
The research will help establish a clearer understanding of the objects' histories and origins, while supporting Cambodia's continuing efforts to identify and recover cultural property that was illegally removed from the country.
The ministry described the return as another significant achievement in the Kingdom's efforts to bring its lost cultural heritage home.
It thanked the Metropolitan Police Service and the OSCE task force for their work in combating the illicit trafficking of cultural property. It also acknowledged its legal advisers, Bradley J. Gordon and Melina Antoniadis, for helping secure the return.
Cambodia remains committed to seeking the restitution of cultural property illegally taken from its territory, the ministry noted, adding that it welcomes continued cooperation from governments, law enforcement agencies, museums, researchers and private collectors. - Phnom Pehn Post/ANN
