Egypt retrieves 36 stolen historic artifacts from the U.S.

Thirty-six historical artifacts that were illegally taken from Egypt have been successfully retrieved from the United States through collaboration with U.S. authorities, as announced by Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on Thursday. The artifacts were transferred by U.S. authorities to the Egyptian Embassy in the U.S. and were brought back to Egypt around two weeks ago. Three distinct sets of artifacts were recovered, including 11 items handed over by the New York State Attorney General’s office, such as a mummy burial mask, a vessel shaped like the god Bes, and a limestone funerary stelae from the Roman period. In a statement, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. highlighted the return of 11 antiquities to Egypt as a result of ongoing criminal investigations. Another 24 rare manuscripts with writings in ancient Coptic and Syriac languages were also handed over by the Metropolitan Museum of Art to the Egyptian Consulate in New York. Additionally, a colored plaster panel from the 18th Dynasty, confiscated by the New York State Attorney General’s office, was determined to have been illegally removed from Egypt. Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities emphasized the importance of repatriating any artifact that belongs to Egypt’s heritage, regardless of its size, to preserve the country’s archaeological legacy. The recovered artifacts will undergo restoration before being displayed at the Egyptian Museum in central Cairo. Egyptian officials actively monitor the internet for illegally smuggled artifacts, collaborating with global authorities to bring these treasures home.