The museum’s fragments of the Zidanku Silk Manuscripts were looted from a tomb in Hunan Province and smuggled into the US nearly 80 years ago

The deal centres on the ancient Incense Route trading hub of Dadan in northwestern Saudi Arabia

The Washington, DC, institution wants to better connect with Asian American communities

The artefacts will go on view at the National Museum of Asian Art, rather than be returned to Yemen, due to the ongoing humanitarian crisis there

The historic interior, with its elaborate avian ornamentation, has undergone months of cleaning and restoration to shore up worn elements and return others to their original lustre