Two artefacts are shown from the several repatriated antiquities that were illegally smuggled out of the country. Photos courtesy of Egyptian Foreign Ministry.
The operation represents another milestone in Egypt’s tireless efforts to safeguard its cultural legacy and recover treasures that tell the story of one of the world’s oldest civilisations.
According to a statement by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the recovery is due to the concerted efforts of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigration, the Office of the Egyptian Public Prosecutor, and other relevant national authorities.
In recovering these artefacts, Egypt also collaborated with US authorities, within the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two countries on the protection and repatriation of antiquities, particularly the Office of the District Attorney of New York.
A specialised archaeological committee from the Supreme Council of Antiquities has received the objects, which will be transferred to the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir for restoration before being displayed according to the museum’s exhibition plan.
Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy described the repatriation as “a testament to Egypt’s unwavering resolve to protect its cultural identity and reclaim its stolen heritage.”
He praised the fruitful cooperation between Egyptian and American authorities, noting that it reflects a growing global awareness of the importance of combating illicit trafficking in cultural property and preserving humanity’s shared heritage.
Fathy reaffirmed that Egypt will continue its international efforts to retrieve every smuggled artefact, emphasising that such cooperation enhances Egypt’s reputation as a leader in cultural diplomacy and heritage preservation.
For his part, Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, highlighted that this latest recovery is part of Egypt’s broader, methodical approach to antiquities restitution. “These artefacts are not mere relics of the past,” he said, “but living witnesses to a civilisation that shaped human history.
"Their return is the culmination of years of scientific, legal, and diplomatic work,” he added.
Meanwhile, Shaaban Abdel Gawad, Director General of the Department of Repatriated Antiquities, stated that the retrieved objects fall into three major groups.
The first group, comprising 11 artefacts, was handed over by the Office of the District Attorney of New York, including, most prominently, a mummy mask of a young man from the Roman era, a vessel shaped like the dwarf god Bes, and a limestone funerary stela also dating to the Roman period.
The second group consists of 24 rare manuscripts featuring Coptic and Syriac texts, which the Metropolitan Museum of Art returned voluntarily to the Egyptian Consulate in New York as a gesture of goodwill.
The third group includes a painted plaster relief from the 18th Dynasty, which was confiscated by New York authorities after the artefact proved to have been smuggled out of Egypt.
This latest repatriation adds to a growing list of successful recoveries that Egypt has achieved in recent years as part of a broader national effort to restore its stolen heritage and reinforce its position as a global guardian of antiquities.
Short link: