In a significant victory for cultural preservation, Egypt has successfully recovered 36 ancient artifacts from the United States, marking a new milestone in the country’s ongoing efforts to reclaim its heritage that was illicitly removed abroad.
The repatriation reflects Egypt’s steadfast commitment to protecting its civilizational legacy and enforcing international conventions against the illegal trafficking of antiquities. The operation was carried out in coordination between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates’ Affairs, and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, under the directives of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
Artifacts Retrieved from New York Collections
According to Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the artifacts were repatriated from New York State, following a series of coordinated legal and diplomatic efforts between Egyptian authorities and their U.S. counterparts.
The recovered pieces comprise three main collections:
- The first group includes 11 artifacts confiscated by the Office of the District Attorney of New York and handed over to the Egyptian Consulate General in New York.
- The second group features 24 rare manuscripts written in Coptic and Syriac, representing an invaluable component of Egypt’s early Christian heritage.
- The third piece is a painted limestone relief dating back to Egypt’s 18th Dynasty, returned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) in New York.
Egyptian officials hailed the recovery as part of a broader national campaign to safeguard and reclaim cultural treasures that have been smuggled out of the country over past decades.
Strengthening International Cooperation
Officials noted that Egypt continues to work closely with museums, prosecutors, and law enforcement agencies worldwide to track, identify, and reclaim antiquities that have left the country illegally. Over the past years, Egypt has successfully repatriated hundreds of artifacts from the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East through diplomatic channels and judicial cooperation.
This latest recovery, they said, reinforces Egypt’s role as a global leader in cultural heritage protection and highlights the country’s ongoing partnership with the international community to combat the illicit antiquities trade.
