Egypt retrieves 25 smuggled ancient artifacts from US

By Safia Azizi

Twenty-five historical ancient Egyptian artifacts have been repatriated from the US.

The items, described as historically and artistically significant, span multiple periods of ancient Egyptian civilization, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry announced on Monday.

The Egyptian Consulate General in New York oversaw the return of the artifacts, which the ministry described as the largest batch of illegally smuggled antiquities recovered in recent times.

The collection includes stone and wooden sarcophagus lids, ceramic and gilded wooden funerary masks, a large alabaster vase and a portrait of a woman dating back to the Greco-Roman period (around 332 BC-640 AD).

Among the recovered items are also a wide range of jewellery crafted from various metals, a rare gold coin from the reign of Ptolemy I, and small bronze and stone statues depicting aspects of ancient Egyptian beliefs and artistic traditions.

The recovery was the result of a joint effort between the Egyptian Consulate General in New York, the attorney's office in New York City and U.S. security agencies.

The operation also involved prolonged negotiations with several private collectors in possession of the artifacts.

Egypt has intensified its global campaign in recent years to recover stolen antiquities, stepping up efforts to preserve and reclaim its ancient treasures.