When the largest piece of Mars ever found on Earth was unveiled at Sotheby’s in New York, bathed in bright lights that made it glow silver and red, the world marvelled. Less than 400 meteorites from the Red Planet have been confirmed among the 50,000 discovered on Earth. This one, weighing 24.7kg (54lb) and named NWA 16788, fetched $4.3m (£3.2m) at auction last month. But while the gavel fell in the US, questions began to rise 4,000 miles away in Niger, where it was first discovered.
“It is brazen! It is brazen!” said Prof Paul Sereno, a University of Chicago palaeontologist with long ties to Niger. Speaking to the BBC from Chicago, he made no effort to hide his anger. “International law says you cannot simply take something that is important to the heritage of a country – be it cultural, physical, natural, or extraterrestrial – out of the country. We’ve moved on from colonial times when all this was okay.”
According to an Italian academic article, the meteorite was found on 16 November 2023 in the Sahara Desert’s Agadez region, about 90km west of the Chirfa Oasis, by an anonymous meteorite hunter. The harsh, arid climate of the Sahara is ideal for preserving such rocks, and the region has become a magnet for hunters hoping for a lucrative find.
The article claims the meteorite was “sold by the local community to an international dealer” and transferred to a private gallery in Arezzo, Italy. Two small slices were kept in Italy for scientific study, while the bulk of the rock eventually appeared on display at Sotheby’s.
Sotheby’s insists all rules were followed. “As with everything we sell, all relevant 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, adding that it is reviewing Niger’s investigation “in light of the question raised.”
Niger’s government has publicly questioned the legality of the export, raising “concerns about possible illicit international trafficking.” Although the country’s 1997 heritage law protects “mineralogical specimens” alongside cultural and archaeological items, meteorites are not explicitly mentioned. In its statement, Niger admitted it has “no specific legislation on meteorites,” a point Sotheby’s has also stressed.
Still, Prof Sereno is convinced the sale violated Nigerien law. Through his NigerHeritage organisation, he has spent years campaigning to safeguard the country’s cultural and natural heritage, from dinosaur fossils to meteorites. He envisions a museum in Niamey to showcase such treasures: “If it ever sees the light of day in a public museum, [the museum] is going to have to deal with the fact that Niger is openly contesting it.”
The controversy has echoes in neighbouring Morocco, where hundreds of meteorites have been found and sold in what some describe as a “Saharan gold rush.” Prof Hasnaa Chennaoui Aoudjehane, a Moroccan geologist, has fought for years to keep significant finds in the country.
“It’s a part of us, it’s a part of our heritage… it’s part of our identity and it’s important to be proud of the richness of the country,” she said. While she does not oppose the trade entirely, she has pushed for regulation. Still, she admits enforcement is challenging: “We cannot be happy with this, but it’s the same state in all our countries.”
Her own experience with the 2011 Tissint meteorite – also from Mars – was telling. Of the original 7kg, only 30g now remain in Morocco. The largest surviving piece is housed at London’s Natural History Museum.
Meteorites occupy a murky space in international law. While UNESCO conventions protect cultural property, their application to extraterrestrial material is ambiguous. This gap leaves individual states to define their own policies – and enforce them.
For Niger, the sale of NWA 16788 has become more than a legal dispute; it is a question of sovereignty and identity. As Prof Sereno puts it: “We’re talking about something that travelled 225 million kilometres to get here. It landed in Niger. That makes it part of Niger’s story.”
Whether that story ends with the meteorite in a private collection or returned to Niger may hinge on how quickly the country can close the legal loopholes that allowed it to leave. For now, the silver-and-red rock sits somewhere far from the desert where it landed – a piece of Mars, and a piece of Niger, sold to the highest bidder.
