As part of the Egyptian state's ongoing efforts to recover its antiquities abroad, Egypt has succeeded in recovering 4 artifacts from the United States, in cooperation and coordination between the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Egyptians Abroad, and in light of the distinguished relations between Egypt and the United States.
The recovery came at the initiative of the family of an American citizen from Texas who had kept these pieces in his private collection. After his death, his family expressed their wish to return the artifacts to their homeland, Egypt, in appreciation of their civilizational and historical value.
Dr. Marlin Michel, an international legal expert authorized by the American family, communicated and coordinated with the relevant Egyptian authorities, represented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Egyptians Abroad and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, to complete the procedures needed to return the pieces to Egypt.
The artifacts arrived in Cairo and were received by a specialized committee from the Supreme Council of Antiquities at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Egyptians Abroad, and were transferred to the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir for the necessary examination, documentation and restoration ahead of their registration and display.
For his part, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy expressed his appreciation to the American family for this noble initiative, noting that the recovery of these pieces is a positive example of cultural and civilizational cooperation and reflects growing global awareness of the importance of preserving cultural heritage and returning it to its homeland.
Dr. Hisham El-Leithy, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the ministry continues its strenuous efforts to recover Egyptian antiquities that left Egypt illegally, in coordination with various national and international bodies, helping to preserve Egypt's civilizational heritage for future generations.
For his part, Shaaban Abdel Gawad, Director General of the General Department for Antiquities Repatriation and supervisor of the Central Department of Ports and Seized Antiquities, explained that among the most notable recovered artifacts is a granite sphinx head wearing the royal nemes headdress decorated with a cobra, dating back to the 18th Dynasty of the New Kingdom and likely representing a portrait of Queen Hatshepsut or King Thutmose III. It is one of the most important pieces in the recovered collection thanks to its great artistic value.
He added that the other artifacts date back to different historical periods of ancient Egyptian civilization, and include a bronze hippopotamus statue covered with a distinctive green patina dating to the 12th Dynasty of the Middle Kingdom, a bronze dual statue of a king wearing the white crown beside the falcon-headed god Horus dating to the 26th Dynasty of the Late Period, and a bronze statue of the god Sobek in the form of a crocodile with a raised head and a body decorated with fine details imitating crocodile scales, also from the Late Period.
Last April, Egypt recovered 13 artifacts from the United States that had left the country illegally, including a collection of vessels of various shapes and sizes used for purposes such as storing oils, perfumes, kohl, cosmetics, liquids and ointments, as well as a statue of the goddess Isis in the form of Aphrodite and a block statue of a man named Ankh-en-Nefer from the Late Period.
