36 historical artifacts illegally smuggled out of Egypt have been returned from the United States in cooperation with US authorities, Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced on Thursday, UNN reports with reference to CBS News.
Details
"The artifacts were handed over by US authorities to the Egyptian Embassy in the US and arrived in Egypt about two weeks ago," said Nevin El-Aref, spokeswoman for the ministry.
Three main sets of artifacts were identified. The first consisted of 11 items handed over by the New York State Attorney General's Office. Among them are a funerary mask of a young man's mummy from the Roman era, a vessel in the shape of the god Bes, and a limestone funerary stele - a tablet with an inscription, also from the Roman period.
In May, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office announced that it had returned 11 antiquities to the people of Egypt that had been recovered through numerous criminal investigations.
"Another eleven priceless antiquities have been recovered and returned to where they rightfully belong," District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. said at the time.
The second group was handed over by the Metropolitan Museum to the Egyptian Consulate in New York. It includes 24 rare manuscripts with inscriptions in ancient Coptic and Syriac languages.
The third group consisted of a colored plaster panel from the 18th Dynasty, approximately 3,000 years old, confiscated by the New York State Attorney General's Office after it was determined to have been illegally exported from Egypt.
The Archaeological Committee received the exhibits, which will be displayed in the Egyptian Museum in downtown Cairo after restoration, the ministry said.
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