Egypt recovers smuggled artifacts from US (PHOTOS)

Ancient objects have been returned due to Cairo’s continued efforts to repatriate cultural heritage, the country’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said

Cairo has reclaimed 13 ancient artifacts, including rare vessels and statues that were illegally brought to the US.  

Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathi Attia said on Saturday the recovery reflects the country’s continued efforts to repatriate “cultural antiquities that were illegally smuggled” abroad. 

The items were handed over during a ceremony at the Egyptian Consulate General in New York. The recovered objects included an alabaster jar for oils and perfumes dating to the 7th century BC, as well as cosmetic containers shaped like animals from the Middle and New Kingdoms of Ancient Egypt.  

The collection also features a statue of the goddess Isis depicted as Aphrodite from the second century AD, highlighting the blend of Egyptian and Greek cultural influences, along with a stone statue of a man named Ankh-en-Nefer from the Late Period. 

Read more

The Egyptian side thanked their US counterparts for their role in the investigation. Officials said the case highlights the importance of international cooperation in “confronting the illicit trafficking of cultural property.”  

Egypt has recently stepped up efforts to recover antiquities from abroad. Last November, Cairo also announced the recovery of 36 artifacts from the US, including a Roman-era mummy mask and a group of rare Coptic and Syriac manuscripts. 

Also last year, Egyptian officials said 13 artifacts had been returned from the UK and Germany. The items include a mummy’s skull and hand, ankh and baboon-shaped amulets, a bronze Osiris crown, and a beaded funerary mask. 

The repatriation comes amid growing calls across Africa for the return of cultural artifacts taken abroad. Speaking in Moscow in July, Mozambican Foreign Minister Maria Manuela Lucas said items removed from the continent should be returned to their countries of origin. 

READ MORE: British university to return looted African artifacts

During the 19th and early 20th centuries, European colonial powers systematically looted cultural property across Africa. In many cases, the art objects ended up in museums and private collections in Europe and North America. According to some estimates up to 90% of sub-Saharan Africa’s cultural heritage is now held outside the continent.