On yesterday, August 10, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced that it had received thirteen archaeological artifacts from the United Kingdom and Germany. The artifacts, which had previously left the country illicitly, returned thanks to a joint operation conducted by the Supreme Council of Antiquities, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Immigration and Egyptian Affairs Abroad, and in cooperation with British and German authorities.
Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sharif Fathi stressed that the operation reflects the state’s desire to preserve its cultural heritage and counter the illicit trade in archaeological goods. He also highlighted the role of international cooperation, thanking authorities in London and Hamburg for their cooperation. According to Fathi, the recovery confirms the effectiveness of coordination between Egyptian institutions and foreign partners in the field of cultural heritage protection. Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mohamed Ismail Khaled, explained that the artifacts from the UK were returned after an operation by London police. Investigations determined that the objects had left Egypt through an international network specializing in smuggling ancient artifacts.
Regarding the artifacts recovered in Germany, Khaled pointed out that the Egyptian Embassy in Berlin received a communication from authorities in Hamburg expressing their willingness to return a number of objects stored at the city museum. Checks confirmed that these artifacts had also been illegally exported.
The director general of the Archaeological Recovery Administration, Shaaban Abdel-Jawad, provided further details. The artifacts returned from the United Kingdom cover different eras of ancient Egyptian civilization. They include a limestone funerary plaque dating to the New Kingdom, depicting the deceased Basser, supervisor of the builders, in a worship scene before Osiris, Isis and the four sons of Horus. Also recovered was a small amulet depicting a red baboon, associated with protection in burial ceremonies, a vase with a green veined base and a funerary bottle with blue veins, both dating to the 18th Dynasty. The finds also include a part of a bronze crown decorated with feathers, snake and ram, belonging to a large statue of Osiris and attributed to a period between the XXII and XXVI dynasties. A beaded funerary mask, datable to the XXVI Dynasty, and a set of black stone funerary decorative elements were also brought back.
An unidentified mummy skull and an amulet in the shape of an ankh, a symbol of life in ancient Egypt, arrived from Germany. Allartifacts were transferred to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, where they will undergo maintenance and restoration work. Once completed, they will be displayed in a section devoted to recent restitutions, in a tour that will explain to the public the stories of the returned artifacts and the context of the recovery operations.
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| Egypt: 13 archaeological finds returned from UK and Germany |
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