By Ayo Kehinde
Egypt has recovered seven ancient artifacts that were seized by French authorities in January after they thwarted their sale by a group of traffickers.
French authorities had confiscated the artifacts in Paris after verifying their illegal exit from Egypt.
They were handed over to the Egyptian Embassy in Paris last March in preparation for their return to their country of origin.
The collection includes a limestone votive coffin, a limestone statue, a wooden statue of Anubis in jackal form, two detached wooden hands from painted coffins, three rare papyrus scrolls bearing royal seals, and a hieroglyphic-inscribed cylindrical container.
Egypt Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities received the seven artifacts from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Immigration, and Expatriate Affairs on Thursday.
Sherif Fathy, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, said the recovery reflects close cooperation between Egypt and France in combating the illicit trafficking of cultural property.
He emphasised both sides’ commitment to implementing relevant international agreements, foremost among them the 1970 UNESCO Convention.
“Every recovered artifact is a restoration of a part of our national memory and Egyptian identity. We will continue these efforts in cooperation with our international partners to protect our heritage for future generations,” he said.
Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained that the recovered pieces represent significant historical value.
Shaaban Abdel-Gawad, Director General of the General Department for Recovered Antiquities and supervisor of the Central Department for Archaeological Ports, clarified that the recovered artifacts include a wooden statue of the god Anubis in his animal form (jackal), a votive coffin, two wooden human hands, a clay statue representing a person, in addition to three small papyrus scrolls.
