Niger was angry that a piece of Mars ended up with public auction

“Sleeping! It is rude!” Professor Paul Cyrino at the bottom of the phone line from Chicago says.

There was no effort to hide his anger that a rare meteorite from Mars discovered two years ago in West Africa, Niger, which ended in a public auction in New York last month to a buyer whose name was not revealed.

The old world, who has close links with the country, believes that he should return to Niger.

A piece of millions of years old, the largest of which is on Earth, on Earth, He brought 4.3 million dollars (3.2 million pounds) in Sothebiz. Like Jupiter, the seller was kept unknown.

But it is not clear whether any of this money has gone to Niger.

Fragments of materials outside the planet that have shifted their way to Earth have inspired a long period of reverence between humans – some of which end as religious things, while others are like a calm of display. Recently, many have become the subject of scientific study.

Trade in meteorites is compared to the art market, with beauty and scarcity that affects the price.

Initially, there was a feeling of dread surrounding the general presentation of this exceptional Mars discovery – it has been proven that less than 400 of 50,000 meteorites were discovered from our planetary neighbor.

Photos taken in Sotheby’s from a tradition of 24.7 kg (54 pounds) – which appear in the lights to glow silver and red – this feeling doubled.

But then some people began to ask questions about how it ended under the hammer of the sign.

Not the least of which is the Niger government itself, which, which, In a statement“He expressed doubts about the legitimacy of its export, raising concerns about the illegal international trafficking.”

Sotheby strongly opposes this, saying that the correct procedures have been followed, but Niger has now launched an investigation into the conditions of the discovery and sale of the meteorite, which was granted the scientific and non -Atlantic name NWA 16788 (NWA standing in northwestern Africa).

No little was announced on how it ended in a world -famous auction house in the United States.

and Italian academic article It was published last year that it was found on November 16, 2023 in the desert desert in the Niger region of Agadiz, 90 km (56 miles) to the west of the Chirfa Oasis, by “Nizorit fisherman, whose identity remains unpopular.”

Meaps can fall anywhere on the ground, but because of the climate favorable to maintain human disorder, the desert has become a major place to discover them. People are looking for a non -hospitable scene that extends across several countries in the hope of finding one for sale.

According to the Italian article, NWA 16788 was sold, “was sold by the local community to an international merchant”, then transferred to a special exhibition in the Italian city of Arinzo.

The University of Florence Journal described the person as “an important Italian exhibition owner.”

A team of scientists led by Giovanni Britisi, a professor of mineral science at the university, was able to examine it to learn more about its structure and where it came. The meal was then briefly displayed in Italy, including at the Italian Space Agency in Rome.

It was then seen in the public places in New York last month, minus two slices that remained in Italy for more research.

Sothebez said that NWA 16788 “was exported from Niger and was transferred in line with all relevant international measures.

“As with everything we sell, all relevant documents were at every stage of their journey, according to best practices and the requirements of the countries concerned.”

An official spokesman added that Sotheby was aware of the reports that Niger was investigating the export of the meteorite and “We are reviewing the information available to us in light of the question that was raised.”

Professor Sirino, who founded Niger Heritage a decade ago, convinced that the Nigerian Law was broken.

The Academy with the University of Chicago, which spent years detecting the vast deposits of the country of dinosaurs in the desert, carried campaigns to obtain the cultural and natural heritage of Niger – including anything that fell from outer space.

A stunning museum is planned on an island on the Niger River that passes through the capital, Niamey, to accommodate these artifacts.

Professor Sirino says: “International law says that you can not simply take something important for a country’s heritage – whether it is a cultural element, a material element, a natural element or an element outside the planet – outside the country. You know that we have moved from colonial times when all this was fine.”

A series of global agreements, including the United Nations Cultural Organization for UNESCO, attempted to regulate trade in these things. but, According to the 2019 study Written by international law expert Max Gonel, when it comes to descending, while they can be included, there is still some ambiguity about whether they are covered with these agreements. Leave to individual states to clarify the situation.

Niger passed its own law in 1997 with the aim of protecting its heritage.

Professor Sereno points to one section with a detailed menu in all listed categories. The “metal samples” are mentioned between artistic works, architecture and archaeological discoveries, but meteorites are not specifically called.

In its statement regarding the sale of Sotheby, Niger admitted that he had “no specific legislation about meteorites” – a line referred to by the auction house as well. But it is still unclear how someone was able to obtain such heavy and clear pieces outside the country without apparently observation of the authorities.

Morocco faced a similar problem with the huge number of meteorites – more than 1000 – located within its borders, which includes part of the desert.

More than two decades ago, the country has witnessed what the author Helen Gordon described as “the rush of desert gold”, which is partially fueled by Laxer regulations and a more stable political environment than some of its neighbors.

In her latest book The Meteorites, she wrote that Morocco was “one of the largest exporters of space rocks in the world.”

Professor Hasna Chinaiwi Oudgehan has spent most of the past 25 years in an attempt to stick to some of these materials outside the ground for her country.

“It is part of us, it is part of our heritage … It is part of our identity and it is important to be proud of the wealth of the country,” he told the BBC geology.

The professor is not against trade in meteorites, but he had an effective role in introducing measures aimed at organizing business. It admits that although the new rules have not fully succeeded in regulating the flow of meteorites.

In 2011, Professor Xinaiwi was responsible for collecting materials in the desert from the fall of a noticeable meteorite that was found to be from Mars.

Later, I was named Tissint, and it weighs 7 kg in everything, but now it says that only 30g remains in Morocco. Some of the rest in museums all over the world, with the largest piece in the Natural History Museum in London.

In thinking about the fate of Mars Niger, she says she was not surprised because she is “something I have lived with for 25 years. It is unfortunate, we cannot be happy with this, but it is the same situation in all our countries.”

Professor Sirino hopes to prove the sale of Sotheby, a turning point – first by motivating the Nigerian authorities to act and secondly, “If the light sees in a public museum, the museum will have to deal with the fact that Niger is competing publicly.”