Egypt has successfully recovered three ancient artifacts that were illicitly taken to Germany, thanks to the efforts of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to the “Akhbar Al-Youm” portal, a delegation from the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Culture and Media sector handed over these items to the Egyptian embassy in Berlin, and they are expected to soon arrive back in Egypt.
Sherif Fathy, the Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, praised his country’s commitment and the role played by the ministries involved in repatriating the Egyptian artifacts that had been smuggled out of the country. The recovery of these pieces marks a significant achievement in the Egyptian-German bilateral relations, especially in combating the illicit trafficking of cultural properties and smuggling of artifacts.
Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt, revealed that the process of reclaiming these artifacts began when the Hamburg Museum in Germany contacted the Egyptian embassy in Berlin, expressing its desire to return a mummy’s hand and skull belonging to ancient Egyptian civilization.
This occurred concurrently with the seizure by customs authorities at Frankfurt Airport of an amulet shaped like the ancient Egyptian “ankh” symbol, during an attempt to illegally bring it into the country from Britain.
In line with the 1970 UNESCO convention on the means of prohibiting and preventing the illicit import, export, and transfer of ownership of cultural property, the return of these items was approved based on an official request submitted by the Egyptian government. This week, the Egyptian ambassador in Germany received a delegation from the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Culture and Media sector to take over these artifacts, which will soon be returned to Egypt.
The recovered pieces include a gold-coated mummy’s hand and head, displayed in the Art Museum in Hamburg for over 30 years. Recent examinations revealed that they are over two thousand years old, dating back to ancient Egyptian civilization. The circumstances of their arrival in Germany remain unknown. The amulet dates back to 600 BC and was confiscated by Frankfurt Airport authorities during an attempt to smuggle it into the country from Britain.
