Egypt Recovers 11 Smuggled Antiquities From the United States
As part of its ongoing efforts to preserve Egypt's cultural heritage and reclaim antiquities illegally trafficked abroad, the Egyptian Consulate General in New York has successfully received 11 ancient artifacts that had been smuggled into the United States.
These items span various eras of ancient Egyptian civilization.
Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Sherif Fathy, highlighted that this recovery is the result of strong collaboration between the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs—represented by the consulate in New York—and in coordination with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. This effort falls under the broader framework of continued Egyptian-American cooperation to combat the illicit trade in cultural property.
Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained that the return followed criminal investigations by U.S. authorities, which confirmed the pieces were smuggled illegally from Egypt. As a result, Egypt's Consul General in New York officially took possession of the items.
Shabaan Abdel Gawad, Director-General of the Department for Antiquities Repatriation, revealed that the recovered artifacts include several pieces of significant historical and artistic value. Among the highlights are:
• A vase shaped like the ancient deity Bes, dating back to 650–550 BCE
• A funerary mask of a young man from the Roman period
• A vividly colored wall relief from the New Kingdom decorated with hieroglyphs and the upper body of a human figure
• A tombstone from the 3rd to 4th century CE
• A 19th-century vessel inscribed with Arabic script
• And several other rare, diverse artifacts.
The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and national and international partners, reaffirms its ongoing commitment to retrieving every Egyptian artifact removed from the country illegally—part of a larger mission to safeguard Egypt's heritage as an integral part of global human history.
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Egypt Today
20 hours ago
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Egypt Recovers 11 Smuggled Antiquities From the United States
As part of its ongoing efforts to preserve Egypt's cultural heritage and reclaim antiquities illegally trafficked abroad, the Egyptian Consulate General in New York has successfully received 11 ancient artifacts that had been smuggled into the United States. These items span various eras of ancient Egyptian civilization. Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Sherif Fathy, highlighted that this recovery is the result of strong collaboration between the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs—represented by the consulate in New York—and in coordination with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. This effort falls under the broader framework of continued Egyptian-American cooperation to combat the illicit trade in cultural property. Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained that the return followed criminal investigations by U.S. authorities, which confirmed the pieces were smuggled illegally from Egypt. As a result, Egypt's Consul General in New York officially took possession of the items. Shabaan Abdel Gawad, Director-General of the Department for Antiquities Repatriation, revealed that the recovered artifacts include several pieces of significant historical and artistic value. Among the highlights are: • A vase shaped like the ancient deity Bes, dating back to 650–550 BCE • A funerary mask of a young man from the Roman period • A vividly colored wall relief from the New Kingdom decorated with hieroglyphs and the upper body of a human figure • A tombstone from the 3rd to 4th century CE • A 19th-century vessel inscribed with Arabic script • And several other rare, diverse artifacts. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and national and international partners, reaffirms its ongoing commitment to retrieving every Egyptian artifact removed from the country illegally—part of a larger mission to safeguard Egypt's heritage as an integral part of global human history.
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