Egypt has successfully recovered 25 smuggled artifacts from the United States in May 2025, marking a significant victory in its ongoing efforts to reclaim its cultural heritage. The recovered items, which span various periods of ancient Egyptian history, were handed over to Egyptian officials by the Egyptian Consulate General in New York.
The artifacts include wooden and gilded sarcophagus lids dating back over 5,500 years, fragments of a temple believed to belong to Queen Hatshepsut, and a Greco-Roman mummy portrait from Fayyoum. Intricately crafted jewelry from around 2,400 years ago, a granite foot fragment from the Ramessid dynasty, and a rare gold coin dating back over two millennia to the reign of Ptolemy I are also among the recovered items.
The recovery operation was a collaborative effort involving Egypt's consulate in New York, the New York District Attorney's Office, and U.S. security agencies. The artifacts had been seized in separate investigations beginning in 2022 and were held at Egypt's consulate in New York until their return to Cairo on Sunday, May 11, 2025. This repatriation highlights Egypt's commitment to protecting its cultural heritage and combating the illegal trafficking of antiquities.