Egypt repatriates ancient 'Green Sarcophagus' from US
Following an investigation and international efforts, Egypt has successfully repatriated the sarcophagus. Ongoing efforts aim to retrieve further items from around the world to Egyptian museums.
Egypt has recovered a green wooden sarcophagus lid from the United States this week as part of Cairo's efforts to stop the trafficking of its antiquities.
The return of the artifact was announced at a press conference in Cairo on Monday. Egypt has recovered about 30,000 antiquities over the past decade that were smuggled out of the country illegally, according to AFP.
The 3,000-year-old sarcophagus lid was displayed at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. It is believed to have belonged to a priest named Ankhenmaat. During the press conference, Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the lid comes from one of the largest wooden sarcophagi from ancient Egypt.
Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid thanked the US authorities for their cooperation in facilitating the item’s return.
