AN ANCIENT Egyptian limestone relief has been retrieved in Mexico and will soon be returning to Egypt, reports Nevine El-Aref. The relief, which depicts the head of an unidentified noble, has been held in custody for three-years at a customs office in Mexico while Egypt sought its restitution on the grounds that it had been taken out of the country illegally. The relief is now at the Egyptian Embassy in Mexico waiting to be brought back to Cairo in a diplomatic bag. Ahmed Mustafa, head of the retrieved antiquities department, said that as soon as it arrived the relief would be restored prior to going on exhibition in the Egyptian Museum. Meanwhile, the antiquities minister, Zahi Hawass, announced that the Ministry of State for Antiquities Affairs (MSAA) had decided to reward any Egyptian citizen who gave information leading to the return of any of the artefacts that were looted or went missing in the aftermath of Egypt's January Revolution, including items stolen during the break-in at the Egyptian Museum and other site magazines. The rewards will range from LE5,000-50,000, depending on the results of the information. The MSAA, in cooperation with the police, will investigate each case to verify the information. Honest Egyptian citizens have so far helped recover several objects that were reported missing. They also played a key role in protecting archaeological sites and museums, particularly the Egyptian Museum during the break-in on 28 January when they formed a human chain around the building and managed to hand over some of the looted artefacts to the authorities.
