Egypt recovers 13 smuggled artefacts from UK and Germany - Ancient Egypt
The Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) officially received the artefacts on Saturday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' headquarters in the New Administrative Capital.
The recovery of the artefacts was carried out in collaboration with British and German authorities.
Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy said the return of these artefacts reflects Egypt's commitment to protecting its unique heritage.
He commended the 'fruitful cooperation' between Egyptian ministries and expressed gratitude to the British and German governments for their role in facilitating the return, highlighting the importance of joint efforts to combat the illicit trade in cultural property.
According to Mohamed Ismail Khaled, secretary-general of the SCA, the recovery followed a police operation in London that seized and confiscated the artefacts after confirming their illegal export by an international antiquities smuggling network.
In Germany, Hamburg city authorities contacted the Egyptian embassy in Berlin, offering to return the items from the city's museum once their unlawful provenance was verified.
Director of the Antiquities Repatriation Department Shaaban Abdel-Gawad said that the repatriated collection spans various periods of ancient Egyptian history.
He said the items returned from London include a New Kingdom limestone funerary stela depicting a Paser, overseer of builders, in a devotional scene with the god Osiris, goddess Isis, and the four sons of Horus; a red baboon-shaped amulet symbolizing divine protection; and an 18th Dynasty green faience vessel and blue faience funerary flask.
Add to this a bronze crown fragment featuring a feather, serpent, and ram's head from a large statue of Osiris dated between the 22nd and 26th Dynasties; a beaded funerary mask from the 26th Dynasty; and several faience and black stone amulets.
The items returned from Germany include a skull and hand from an unidentified mummy, along with an ankh-shaped amulet — the ancient Egyptian symbol of life.
All recovered artefacts have been transferred to the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir for conservation and restoration before being displayed in a dedicated exhibition of recently repatriated treasures.
Follow us on:
Short link:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CairoScene
7 hours ago
- CairoScene
Egypt Recovers 13 Smuggled Artefacts From UK & Germany
The collection includes a New Kingdom limestone funerary stela, a red baboon-shaped amulet and an 18th Dynasty faience vessel. Aug 11, 2025 Thirteen ancient Egyptian artefacts have been recovered from the United Kingdom and Germany, according to a statement by the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA). The items, spanning various eras of Egypt's history, were officially received on Saturday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' headquarters in the New Administrative Capital. Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy said the return reflects Egypt's commitment to protecting its heritage, praising the 'fruitful cooperation' between Egyptian ministries and thanking the British and German governments for their role in the process. According to SCA secretary-general Mohamed Ismail Khaled, the UK recovery followed a London police operation that seized items illegally exported by an international smuggling network. The collection includes a New Kingdom limestone funerary stela, a red baboon-shaped amulet, an 18th Dynasty faience vessel, a bronze crown fragment from a statue of Osiris, a beaded funerary mask, and several faience and black stone amulets. From Germany came a mummy's skull and hand, along with an ankh-shaped amulet. All pieces have been transferred to the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir for conservation ahead of a special exhibition showcasing recently recovered treasures.
Al-Ahram Weekly
9 hours ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Egypt's 12th aid convoy heads to Gaza with food, fuel supplies - Foreign Affairs
The 12th Egyptian aid convoy lined up early Monday morning in preparation to enter the Gaza Strip through the Karm Abu Salem crossing, including three fuel trucks, food supplies, and baby formula. The three fuel trucks add to the previous five that entered Gaza since last Sunday, bringing the total number to eight fuel deliveries in a week. The 12th convoy is loaded with hundreds of tons of food, water, medical supplies, and other relief materials. It involves canned meals, legumes, and essential medicines. Upon entering the Karm Abu Salem crossing, which operates from 8am to 5pm, the trucks undergo a lengthy inspection process before being allowed to enter the strip. Once cleared, they are handed over to the Palestinian Red Crescent and United Nations agencies for distribution inside Gaza. Egypt has been dispatching near-weekly land convoys to Gaza since Israel announced a "tactical pause" that allows limited aid entry to the strip after five months of complete Israeli blockade on food, water, and medicine entry, which pushed the strip's population into a catastrophic famine. Egypt sent its first convoy after months of blockade, under the "Zad Al-Ezza" humanitarian initiative, on 27 July. On Sunday, Egypt's 11th aid convoy entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing, including three diesel tankers. The convoy included over 3,000 tons of food, medical supplies, personal care items, infant formula, and tens of thousands of loaves of bread prepared by the ERC. According to Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC) Executive Director Amal Imam, Egypt has sent 36,000 trucks carrying more than 500,000 tons of aid since the war began. Moreover, the Egyptian Armed Forces have conducted airdrops of food into isolated areas of Gaza. The renewed aid push comes as Gaza's 2.3 million population struggles to survive under Israel's systemic policy of blockade and starvation. Palestinian health officials say the manmade famine has killed 212 civilians in Gaza, half of whom were children. According to the United Nations, the entire population is now facing food insecurity. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has also warned of a 'worst-case scenario of famine.' Since May, the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has been presented as an alternative to the UN-run aid system. However, Israel has been using its distribution sites as bait to target Palestinians as they wait to receive assistance. Egypt, several global and regional powers, and dozens of international aid agencies have condemned the GHF as a 'mechanism of death' for Palestinians. Since the inception of GHF, the Israeli forces have killed over 1,500 Palestinians near its centres, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported. As of Sunday, at least 31 Palestinians were killed while seeking aid in Gaza, hospitals and witnesses said. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
a day ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Egypt recovers 13 smuggled artefacts from UK and Germany - Ancient Egypt
Egypt has successfully recovered 13 ancient Egyptian artefacts which were smuggled to the United Kingdom and Germany, as part of its continued efforts to safeguard its cultural heritage. The Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) officially received the artefacts on Saturday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' headquarters in the New Administrative Capital. The recovery of the artefacts was carried out in collaboration with British and German authorities. Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy said the return of these artefacts reflects Egypt's commitment to protecting its unique heritage. He commended the 'fruitful cooperation' between Egyptian ministries and expressed gratitude to the British and German governments for their role in facilitating the return, highlighting the importance of joint efforts to combat the illicit trade in cultural property. According to Mohamed Ismail Khaled, secretary-general of the SCA, the recovery followed a police operation in London that seized and confiscated the artefacts after confirming their illegal export by an international antiquities smuggling network. In Germany, Hamburg city authorities contacted the Egyptian embassy in Berlin, offering to return the items from the city's museum once their unlawful provenance was verified. Director of the Antiquities Repatriation Department Shaaban Abdel-Gawad said that the repatriated collection spans various periods of ancient Egyptian history. He said the items returned from London include a New Kingdom limestone funerary stela depicting a Paser, overseer of builders, in a devotional scene with the god Osiris, goddess Isis, and the four sons of Horus; a red baboon-shaped amulet symbolizing divine protection; and an 18th Dynasty green faience vessel and blue faience funerary flask. Add to this a bronze crown fragment featuring a feather, serpent, and ram's head from a large statue of Osiris dated between the 22nd and 26th Dynasties; a beaded funerary mask from the 26th Dynasty; and several faience and black stone amulets. The items returned from Germany include a skull and hand from an unidentified mummy, along with an ankh-shaped amulet — the ancient Egyptian symbol of life. All recovered artefacts have been transferred to the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir for conservation and restoration before being displayed in a dedicated exhibition of recently repatriated treasures. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
