Egypt has repatriated 36 ancient artefacts from the United States as part of its ongoing campaign to reclaim antiquities that were smuggled out of the country illegally, the foreign ministry announced on Thursday. The pieces, repatriated from New York, were handed over by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, in line with directives from President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to safeguard Egypt's heritage, the statement read. The recovered items include 11 artefacts seized by the Office of New York State Attorney General transferred to Egypt's Consulate General in New York, 24 rare Coptic and Syriac manuscripts, and a painted limestone relief from the 18th Pharaonic Dynasty that had been in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. According to the statement, the repatriation highlights Egypt's commitment to protecting its cultural heritage and enforcing the Antiquities Protection Law and international conventions against the illicit trade in cultural property. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English
