Lebanon returns 37 artefacts smuggled out of Egypt six years ago

Lebanon has returned 37 artefacts to Egypt that were smuggled out of the country six years ago.

A ceremony was held at the National Museum of Beirut in the Lebanese capital on Wednesday to celebrate the handover of the artefacts, which date back to the pharaonic civilisation, more commonly referred to as ancient Egypt.

“After investigating the identity and ownership of these items, it was determined that they belonged to Egypt,” said Lebanon’s Culture Minister Ghassan Salame as he gave the items to Egyptian Ambassador to Lebanon Alaa Moussa.

“We are setting an example in the strict implementation of the 1970 international convention concerning the prevention of the illicit trafficking of cultural property,” he was quoted as saying by Lebanon’s National News Agency.

The artefacts were seized from the Port of Beirut in 2020. Lebanon spent years working with INTERPOL, Egypt and the country’s top public prosecutor to verify the ownership and authenticity of the items.

The collection consists of masks, wooden dolls, pieces of Coptic textiles, amulets made from glass paste, medium-sized statues and two wooden coffins decorated with colourful designs.

Laura Salloum, an official with Lebanon’s Directorate General of Antiquities, said the artefacts had been purchased by a Lebanese national without official documentation confirming their source.

Such items are regularly stolen from Egypt. Last month, 48 artefacts were returned to Cairo by the FBI Art Crime Team in the United States.

Egypt’s official press office announced on Wednesday that its embassy in the Swiss capital, Bern, had recovered an ancient golden mummy mask with the help of local authorities.