The revolution of 2011 was reshaping Egypt’s political order, straining institutions, and testing the resilience of civil society. Like many diplomats serving abroad during that period, my daily work centred on urgent foreign-policy concerns such as the political transition, economic stability, and preserving international partnerships while events unfolded rapidly at home.
Then a different kind of crisis came into focus.
I was approached by a group of experts as the deputy chief of mission at the Egyptian Embassy in Washington DC. The group included archaeologists, authors, curators, Egyptologists, lawyers, and museum directors, together forming the International Coalition to Protect Egyptian Antiquities (ICPEA).
This delegation presented evidence that Egypt was not only experiencing political upheaval but that across the country’s archaeological landscape widespread looting was taking place. Satellite imagery revealed illicit excavations at major heritage sites in clear signs that our shared past was under attack.
The realisation was sobering. When governance weakens, culture is often among the first casualties. And once antiquities disappear into illicit markets, recovery becomes exceedingly difficult.
Based on our deliberations, one answer emerged: to negotiate a cultural property agreement (CPA) between Egypt and the United States. Such agreements prohibit the import of cultural objects unless they are legally exported.
Though technical in structure, they also carry profound implications. They recognise that safeguarding heritage is not solely a national responsibility but a shared international obligation. Beyond the imposition of import restrictions, such agreements also create a bilateral framework that strengthens diplomatic, law enforcement, and cultural cooperation between two countries.
For Egypt, the promise of such an agreement lay in its practical and diplomatic impact. Restricting the entry of undocumented Egyptian antiquities into the United States would close the country’s art market, the world’s largest at 43 per cent of the global total of trafficked objects.
Requiring owners and dealers to demonstrate lawful provenance, rather than forcing Egypt to prove theft, would fundamentally strengthen enforcement. And establishing a formal framework for cultural cooperation would ensure that heritage protection remained embedded within the broader bilateral relationship.
What followed were nearly three years of careful and, at times, difficult negotiations. Political conditions in both countries were complex, and relations were strained in the aftermath of Egypt’s 2013 Revolution.
Trust required patience. Yet, it was precisely during this tense period that cultural heritage became a platform for constructive dialogue, allowing cooperation to continue even when other negotiations proved challenging.
When the agreement was ultimately signed in Washington DC on 20 November 2016 by Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukri and US secretary of state John Kerry, it marked more than a legal milestone. It demonstrated that even amid political uncertainty, nations can still come together to protect what belongs not only to one country, but to a shared past.
As the first such agreement between the United States and a country in the Middle East and North Africa, it also established an important regional precedent. In the years since, six additional countries — Algeria, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, and Yemen — have secured cultural property agreements with the US, reinforcing Egypt’s leadership in promoting cultural property protection across the region.
In addition to setting a regional example, in the years since the signing of the agreement, the partnership has yielded meaningful results. Close coordination between the Egyptian and American authorities has enabled the repatriation of thousands of antiquities, returning pieces of Egypt’s history to their rightful home.
In December 2025, Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy announced that in the past decade Egypt has successfully recovered nearly 30,000 antiquities, specifically citing bilateral agreements as an important tool for doing so.
One case drew particular attention: a full-size gold sarcophagus looted soon after the revolution, smuggled abroad, restored, and ultimately sold to the Metropolitan Museum in New York in 2017.
Its recovery, made possible through 20 months of investigation, legal cooperation, and the rule of law, culminated in a ceremony in New York City in September 2019 with US Customs and Homeland Security officials as well as the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, where foreign minister Shoukri accepted the piece on behalf of the people of Egypt.
The episode underscored how international collaboration can transform loss into accountability.
Egypt’s experience has also reshaped its diplomatic engagement more broadly. Recognising that looting threatens cultural heritage across the Middle East and beyond, Egypt has worked with regional partners and international market countries to raise awareness, strengthen legal protections, and support the recovery of stolen antiquities.
For example, Egypt is working with 15 member states of UN cultural agency UNESCO through the Forum of Ancient Civilisations to repatriate artefacts looted during colonial times. In this way, heritage, once endangered by instability, has become an instrument of cultural diplomacy and shared responsibility.
Today, Egypt is not alone in confronting the crisis of cultural racketeering. Yet, it is increasingly regarded as a regional model for the protection and restitution of cultural property. That leadership reflects not only sustained national commitment, but also the strength of partnerships forged during a time of profound crisis.
The ICPEA is another example of this. The organisation ultimately evolved into the Antiquities Coalition, an NGO dedicated to supporting countries worldwide in the fight against this crime.
As the cultural property agreement approaches consideration for its third renewal in March this year, the moment invites reflection. What began as an urgent response to instability has evolved into a durable framework for cooperation and one that safeguards the past while strengthening diplomatic trust in the present.
I remain optimistic about the future of this partnership and about Egypt’s continuing role in protecting heritage across the region. Cultural property agreements are, in the end, more than legal instruments. They are affirmations of a deeper principle: that even in moments of upheaval, nations can still come together to preserve the legacy of human civilisation.
The writer is a member of the International Advisory Board of the Antiquities Coalition.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 19 March, 2026 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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