Khaberni - The Egyptian authorities have announced the recovery of a number of artifacts from the United States.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs mentioned in a statement today, Thursday, that it has handed over 36 recovered Egyptian artifacts to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities from the United States.
The 36 artifacts had left the country illegally, in three main groups, where the first group included 11 artifacts that were confiscated by the Office of the Attorney General of New York State and were handed over to the Egyptian General Consulate in New York.
Manuscripts in Coptic and Syriac languages
The second group included 24 rare manuscripts featuring writings in the Coptic and Syriac languages, while the third group included a colored panel from the 18th Pharaonic Dynasty, which was handed over by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Recovery of a 3500-year-old statue
A few days ago, the Dutch Prime Minister, Dick Schoof, announced on Sunday, during his visit to Cairo where he met with the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, that the Netherlands would return a 3500-year-old statue to Egypt, which had appeared in an art exhibition in his country. Schoof said that "the historic artifact was confiscated from an art exhibition" in Maastricht, southern Netherlands, in 2022 after an anonymous report alerted the authorities to its illicit origin.
It is noted that the artifact depicts a high official from the era of Thutmose III (1479-1425 BC), and it is believed to have been stolen and smuggled illegally, likely during 2011, before appearing in the global market for art trade.
