Egypt repossesses ancient treasures from UK, Germany
(MENAFN) Egypt has successfully recovered 13 ancient artifacts from the UK and Germany as part of its ongoing effort to repatriate cultural treasures illegally removed from the country, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced Sunday. The operation was coordinated with Egypt’s Foreign Ministry and involved cooperation from authorities in all three countries.
The London Metropolitan Police confirmed that the artifacts seized in the UK had been smuggled out of Egypt through an international antiquities trafficking network. In Germany, authorities at the port of Hamburg alerted the Egyptian Embassy in Berlin about the illegal shipment, prompting the return.
Recovered items from Germany include a skull and hand from an unidentified mummy and an ankh-shaped amulet, symbolizing life. The UK’s returned collection features a green faience vessel, a New Kingdom limestone funerary stela, a small red baboon amulet, and a blue faience funerary jar, all dating to the 18th Dynasty (1550–1292 BC). Additional items include a bronze crown from an Osiris statue (22nd–26th Dynasties, 945–525 BC), a beaded funerary mask from the 26th Dynasty (664–525 BC), and several faience and black stone amulets.
Sherif Fathi, Egypt’s tourism and antiquities minister, highlighted that the recovery underscores the state’s commitment to protecting its civilizational heritage and combating illegal trafficking. The repatriation aligns with a wider African movement calling for the return of cultural artifacts, following recent restitutions such as the Netherlands returning 119 looted items to Nigeria.
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