Egypt recovers 7 illegally smuggled artifacts from France

Egypt Independent

30-05-2025

On Thursday, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities received seven ancient Egyptian artifacts from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Immigration, and Expatriate Affairs at the New Administrative Capital. This comes after French authorities seized the artifacts last January.
Sherif Fathy, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, expressed his happiness at the recovery of these pieces, which reflects the fruitful close cooperation between Egypt and France in combating the illicit trafficking of cultural property. He emphasized both sides' commitment to implementing relevant international agreements, foremost among them the 1970 UNESCO Convention.
Fathy affirmed that the recovery of this collection reflects the commitment of the Egyptian state, with all its institutions, to protecting its unique civilizational heritage. He stated that 'every recovered artifact is a restoration of a part of our national memory and Egyptian identity.' He added, 'We will continue these efforts in cooperation with our international partners to protect our heritage for future generations,' commending the fruitful cooperation between the Ministry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Immigration, and Expatriate Affairs.
French authorities had confiscated the artifacts in Paris after verifying their illegal exit from Egypt. They were handed over to the Egyptian Embassy in Paris last March in preparation for their return to their country of origin.
Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained that the recovered pieces represent significant historical value. A comprehensive archaeological and technical report is currently being prepared for them, in preparation for their display among the holdings of the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir.
Investigations are also ongoing to identify the parties involved in the illegal removal of these pieces and to hold them accountable according to the law, in coordination with all relevant authorities.
Shaaban Abdel-Gawad, Director General of the General Department for Recovered Antiquities and supervisor of the Central Department for Archaeological Ports, clarified that the recovered artifacts include a wooden statue of the god Anubis in his animal form (jackal), a votive coffin, two wooden human hands, a clay statue representing a person, in addition to three small papyrus scrolls.
This marks the third time this month that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Immigration, and Expatriate Affairs has handed over recovered archaeological collections from abroad to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. Previously, the Consulate General in New York received 25 rare artifacts from US authorities, followed by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities receiving 20 significant artifacts recovered from Australia through Egyptian missions in Canberra and Sydney.