Egypt's Ambassador in London Tarek Adel managed to restore three artefacts dating back to the Pharaonic and Greek eras before being sold at an auction hall in London, read a statement by the foreign ministry on Thursday.

The move is part of Egypt's tireless efforts to restore precious artefacts that were smuggled out of the country.

The statement highlighted the efforts of the foreign ministry in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities to preserve Egypt's heritage and bring back all smuggled artefacts.

The ambassador lauded the fruitful cooperation between the Egyptian government and the British Museum to stop the sale of these priceless pieces.

No information is yet available on the owners of the artefacts or how they were smuggled out of Egypt.

The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said on Thursday efforts are underway to bring home as soon as possible the three artefacts.
Adel received the three pieces after coordinating with the British Museum, the tourism ministry stated.

The restored pieces include an alabaster statue without the head and feet that dates back to the Graeco-Roman era and a part of a wooden sarcophagus that may date back to the late era, supervisor of the Retrieved Antiquities Department at the ministry Shaaban Abdel-Gawad said.

The third piece is likely to be part of a sarcophagus, he added.

He stressed that the three pieces are not listed among the possessions of museums and archaeological warehouses affiliated with the Supreme Council of Antiquities, but that they were probably the result of illegal excavation.