• Recovery of smuggled artifacts as part of international cooperation
• Rare pieces reflecting cultural diversity across historical eras

The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced the successful recovery of 13 antiquities that had been illegally smuggled to the United States, as part of the country’s ongoing efforts to reclaim its looted cultural heritage abroad.

Hisham El-Leithy, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, stated that the recovered pieces span diverse historical periods, from prehistoric times to the Greco-Roman era, and reflect important aspects of religious, daily, and artistic life in ancient Egypt.

The recovered collection includes an alabaster vessel for oils and perfumes dating back to the 7th century BC, a cosmetic container (kohl) shaped like a monkey from the New Kingdom, a pottery piece in the form of a duck from the Ptolemaic era, a statue of the goddess Isis depicted as “Aphrodite” illustrating cultural fusion in the 2nd century AD, and a block statue of a man named “Ankh-en-Nefr” from the Late Period.

This achievement adds to Egypt’s series of successes in the field of antiquities repatriation in recent years, reinforcing the country’s firm stance on protecting its historical rights and safeguarding its cultural identity from illegal trafficking and misuse.