Egypt Repatriates 36 Smuggled Artifacts From the US - GreekReporter.com
Glenn Meyer
Egypt Repatriates 36 Smuggled Artifacts From the US
Egypt has repatriated 36 ancient artifacts from the United States in the latest move to reclaim cultural antiquities that were taken out of the country through illegal trafficking. The announcement comes as part of a broader state-led effort to secure the return of thousands of objects believed to have been smuggled over the years.
Officials said the repatriation was completed in line with directives from the President of the Republic, who called for intensified action to protect Egypt’s cultural identity and retrieve stolen heritage.
Three batches of artifacts returned
The items were retrieved in three batches over an unspecified period. The first batch included 11 pieces handed over by the Office of the Attorney General in New York. Among them are a Roman-era mummy mask of a young man, a vessel depicting the god Bes, and a limestone funerary stele from the same period.
The second batch consists of 24 rare manuscripts written in Coptic and Syriac. The Metropolitan Museum of Art voluntarily returned these texts to the Egyptian Consulate in New York as a gesture of goodwill.
The final batch contains a painted limestone relief panel from the 18th Dynasty. It was confiscated by the New York Attorney General’s Office after officials confirmed it had been illegally exported from Egypt.
Multiple agencies coordinated the recovery
The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said the operation was led by the Supreme Council of Antiquities in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of State for Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates’ Affairs, the International Cooperation Department at the Office of the Public Prosecutor, and several regulatory and security authorities in Egypt.
The recovery took place in coordination with U.S. officials under a 2021 Memorandum of Understanding between both countries to curb the trafficking of cultural property.
A committee from the Supreme Council of Antiquities has received the pieces and will transfer them to the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, where experts will restore and prepare them for display.
Egypt calls heritage repatriation a national priority
Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Shereef Fathy said the latest recovery underscores Egypt’s firm commitment to protecting its heritage and returning antiquities removed through illegal channels. He praised cooperation with U.S. institutions, describing it as proof of growing international awareness of the need to combat illicit cultural trafficking.
A living testimony of an ancient civilization
Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the recovered objects are not just historical items but “living testimony” to a civilization built over thousands of years. He said the result reflects Egypt’s scientific and legal approach to tracking stolen antiquities.
Shabaan Abdel-Gawad, Director-General of the Repatriated Antiquities Department, said the state will continue legal efforts to recover other objects still held abroad.
Part of a wider campaign to retrieve heritage
Egypt has stepped up its repatriation efforts in recent years. According to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, nearly 30,000 smuggled artifacts were recovered between 2011 and 2021. Recent returns include items from the Netherlands, Britain, Germany, and the United States, with more cases currently under review.
Officials said the country will pursue every artifact proven to have left Egypt illegally, calling their return a cultural obligation and a matter of national identity.
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