Egypt Reclaims Stolen 3,400-year-old Statue of Ramesses II from Europe

A 3,400-year-old statue head of King Ramses II, which was stolen and smuggled out of Egypt over three decades ago, has finally returned home from Switzerland. The artefact, part of a larger statue group depicting the ancient Egyptian ruler alongside various deities, was stolen from Ramses II’s temple in the ancient city of Abydos.

Egyptian authorities first spotted the artefact when it was offered for sale at an exhibition in London in 2013. Subsequently, it traversed through several countries before ending up in Switzerland. Egypt collaborated with Swiss authorities to establish its rightful ownership, leading to the statue’s confiscation in Geneva as part of criminal proceedings. Last July, it was handed over to the Egyptian embassy in Bern, and it has now been brought back to Egypt.

Shaaban Abdel-Gawad, head of the department responsible for antiquities repatriation, stressed the significance of this return, underscoring the joint commitment of Switzerland and Egypt to combat the illicit trade in cultural property. The artefact, now under the care of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, will undergo restoration and maintenance at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Mohamed Ismail Khalid, the secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, expressed gratitude for the concerted efforts of various entities involved in the repatriation process, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the International Cooperation Office of the Public Prosecution Office, Swiss authorities, and the Egyptian embassy in Bern. He emphasised that this repatriation effort aligns with ongoing initiatives by the tourism ministry to recover Egyptian artefacts that have been smuggled out of the country.