ADVERTISEMENT It’s not every day a chunk of Mars ends up under the hammer in Manhattan – especially one weighing in at a hefty 25 kilos. But that’s exactly what happened in July when NWA 16788, the largest Martian meteorite ever discovered on Earth, fetched a record-breaking price at auction.
Now, Niger wants to know how this millions-of-years-old space rock – found in the remote Sahara just nine months ago – left the country without anyone noticing.
The meteorite, which was named NWA 16788 (short for Northwest Africa), is thought to have been blasted off the surface of Mars by an asteroid strike before travelling some 140 million miles to Earth. According to Sotheby’s, it was discovered in November 2023 by a still-unnamed meteorite hunter in Niger’s Agadez region.
What happened next isn’t entirely clear.
Italian academic sources, the BBC reports, say it was sold by the local community to an international dealer and ended up in a private gallery in Arezzo, Italy. There, scientists from the University of Florence examined it before it was displayed briefly in Rome.
From there, it made its way – minus two slices left behind for research – to Sotheby’s New York showroom.
But back in Niger, the reaction hasn’t been one of celebration. The government has now launched an official investigation into what it calls possible “illicit international trafficking”. President Abdourahamane Tiani has suspended the export of meteorites and precious stones until further notice, citing the need for stricter traceability.
In a statement, Niger said it was “akin to illicit international trafficking” and raised concerns over the legality of the meteorite’s export.
Sotheby’s, however, insists it followed all the rules.
“As with everything we sell, all necessary documentation was in order at each stage of its journey, in accordance with best practice and the requirements of the countries involved,” the auction house said.
Still, there’s little clarity on whether any of the sale went to Niger – or if the rock was exported with the government’s knowledge at all.
Cultural heritage expert Patty Gerstenblith told the AP that while meteorites can be protected under international law, Niger would need to prove it had ownership and that the meteorite was stolen. That might be a legal uphill battle.
“If the meteorite was not stolen and if it was properly declared upon import into the U.S., then it would not seem that Niger can recover the meteorite,” she said.
Paul Sereno, a paleontologist who has worked in Niger for years, sees it differently.
“When you have laws that clearly say rare minerals like meteorites are cultural artifacts, you cannot simply come in and take something that is so unique and valuable to a country,” he shared.
“We’re just not in the colonial era anymore,” he added.
In its statement on the Sotheby’s sale, Niger admitted it doesn’t yet have a specific law on meteorites, although a general cultural heritage law was passed in 1997. That legal grey area is part of what’s fuelling the current debate.
And it’s not just about legality – there’s also pride and preservation at stake. Plans are reportedly in motion to build a new museum on an island in the River Niger to house the country’s natural and cultural artefacts, including any future meteorite finds.
