The Egyptian 3,500-year-old stone bust. Photo: Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science
The Dutch PM made the announcement during talks with President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo, where both leaders discussed cooperation in cultural preservation and recovering smuggled Egyptian antiquities.
"In my talks with President El-Sisi, I further announced that the Netherlands will return to Egypt a stone bust from the dynasty of Thutmose III, a historic cultural artefact confiscated at a Dutch art fair," Schoof wrote on X.
According to Reuters, the historic piece, which dates back to the 1479–1425 BC reign of Thutmose III, is believed to have been stolen and illegally smuggled from Egypt.
In 2022, the Egyptian artefact was confiscated at a Dutch art fair in the city of Maastricht after authorities received an anonymous tip about its illegal origin.
A joint investigation by the Dutch police and the cultural heritage inspectorate confirmed that the bust had indeed been stolen and smuggled out of Egypt unlawfully.
The Dutch government announced plans to return the piece to the Egyptian ambassador by the end of this year, without specifying a date, Reuters reported.
The return of the bust of Thutmose III, one of the most prominent pharaohs of ancient Egypt's 18th Dynasty, adds to a growing list of artefacts repatriated to Egypt in recent years through international cooperation.
The Dutch Prime Minister's meeting with President El-Sisi, attended by his counterparts from Belgium and Luxembourg, follows their participation in the opening ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) on Saturday.
Schoof described the GEM's landmark opening as a remarkable milestone for Egypt and a historic moment that provides the opportunity to expand cultural exchanges between Egypt and the Netherlands.
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