Egypt recovers 16 ancient artifacts, 35 others to be auctioned off in US

Authorities have succeeded in recovering 15 Ancient Egyptian artifacts from the United Kingdom and another from South Africa on Tuesday, while another 35 artifacts are due to be auctioned off in the United States as of Thursday.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of State for Antiquities on Wednesday, 15 ancient Egyptian artifacts were successfully recovered from the UK on Tuesday following long-term efforts by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to retrieve these pieces prior to their sale at the Christie’s and Bonhams Auction Houses in London.

The 15 artifacts are currently being assessed by specialists at the Egyptian Museum to determine if these pieces are in need of reparations or restorations.

A sixteenth piece, an Ushabti statuette, small statue buried with mummified remains to accompany and serve the deceased in their afterlife, was handed over from a German man living in South Africa.

According to the website of the Ministry of Antiquities, the German individual voluntarily handed over the Ushabti statue to Egypt’s diplomatic authorities in South Africa. He explained that his mother had purchased the piece from a trader in Luxor in 1959.

This 12 centimeter-tall piece has been analyzed by Egyptian experts who have confirmed its authenticity. Photos reveal that it still maintains its original blue and green colors.

Meanwhile in the US, the fate of another 35 ancient Egyptian relics is far less certain. According to the privately owned Cairo News Portal, these piece are to be auctioned off starting from 10:30 am on Thursday. The specific auction houses involved have not been identified, however.

Quoting Ali Ahmed, General Director of the Authority for Recovered Egyptian Artifacts, Cairo Portal reported that the Ministry of Antiquities and Ministry of Foreign Affairs have been calling on American authorities to identify the buyers of these artifacts and their locations following the auctions.

Ahmed pointed out that these 35 artifacts were allegedly transported out of Egypt prior to the existence of the United Nations Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, which was issued in 1970.

Therefore, it would be far more difficult to lay claim to these artifacts, as they were legally purchased and transported out of Egypt prior to 1970.