Egypt has succeeded in recovering 13 artifacts from the United States that had left the country illegally, in light of the Egyptian state's continuous efforts to combat illicit trafficking in cultural property, and in cooperation between the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates, and all relevant Egyptian and international bodies, including the New York District Attorney's Office, the Tourism and Antiquities Police and the Office of the Public Prosecutor of the Arab Republic of Egypt.
In this context, Sherif Fathy, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, said that recovering these pieces is part of the Egyptian state's strategy to preserve its unique civilizational heritage, and reflects Egypt's firm commitment to continue working to recover all of its antiquities that left illegally, stressing that the state will not give up on recovering them by all available means, in cooperation with its international partners, ensuring the protection of this human heritage for future generations.
He praised the efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates, the New York District Attorney's Office, the Tourism and Antiquities Police, the Office of the Public Prosecutor and all relevant Egyptian and international bodies for their close cooperation and the legal and diplomatic efforts made to track and recover Egyptian antiquities that left the country illegally, helping safeguard and preserve Egypt's cultural heritage.
For his part, Dr. Hisham El-Leithy, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained that the recovered pieces are notable for their diversity and historical importance, dating back to different Egyptian eras from prehistoric times to the Greco-Roman period, and reflecting many aspects of religious, daily and artistic life in ancient Egypt.
Shaaban Abdel Gawad, Director General of the General Department for the Recovery of Antiquities and supervisor of the Central Department of Ports and Seizures, noted that among the most prominent pieces is a group of vessels of different shapes and sizes used for many purposes, including an alabaster vessel for storing oils and perfumes dating back to the 7th century BC, a kohl container in the shape of a monkey from the New Kingdom, a cosmetics vessel in the shape of a cat from the Middle Kingdom, a vessel from the Ptolemaic period and a ceremonial cup used in religious rituals, in addition to a number of vessels for storing liquids and ointments from the Middle Kingdom.
He added that the pieces also include part of a decorated vessel depicting a child among marsh plants, likely linked to Horus the Child, a pottery piece in the shape of a duck from the Ptolemaic period, and a faience decoration bearing the head of the Greek god Dionysus.
The recovered pieces also include a statue of the goddess Isis in the form of Aphrodite dating back to the 2nd century AD, embodying the cultural fusion between the Egyptian and Greek civilizations, as well as a block statue of a man named "Ankh-en-Nefer" from the Late Period.
