Cairo — Thirty-six historical artifacts illegally removed from Egypt have been recovered from the United States in cooperation with U.S. authorities, Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said Thursday.
"The artifacts were handed over by the American authorities to the Egyptian Embassy in the U.S., and they arrived in Egypt about two weeks ago," Nevine El-Aref, the ministry's media adviser, told CBS News.
Three main sets of artifacts were recovered, the first consisting of 11 items handed over by the New York State Attorney General's office. Among them is a mummy burial mask that belonged to a young man from the Roman era, a vessel in the shape of the god Bes, and a limestone funerary stelae, an inscribed tablet, also from the Roman period.
In May, the Manhattan District Attorney's office said it had returned 11 antiquities to the people of Egypt that were recovered thanks to multiple criminal investigations.
The mask of a young man mummified in Egypt during the Roman era, which was among 36 stolen artifacts returned to Egypt by U.S. authorities, is seen in a photo shared by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Nov. 6, 2025.
Handout/Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
"Eleven more priceless antiquities have now been recovered and returned to where they rightfully belong," District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. said in a statement at the time. "None of this work is possible without the dedication and commitment of our team, and I thank them for their work on these investigations."
The second group was handed over by the Metropolitan Museum of Art to the Egyptian Consulate in New York. It includes 24 rare manuscripts bearing writings in the ancient Coptic and Syriac languages.
The third group consisted of a colored plaster panel from the 18th Dynasty, about 3,000 years ago, that was confiscated by the New York State Attorney General's office after it was determined to have been illegally removed from Egypt.
A tablet dating from ancient Egypt's 18th Dynasty, about 3,000 years ago, that was confiscated by the New York State Attorney General's office is seen in a photo shared by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on Nov. 6, 2025.
Handout/Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
"Any artifact that belongs to Egypt's heritage is important. Even if it's a small stone, it is important to bring it back to Egypt, where it belongs," El-Aref told CBS News. "It is very important for Egypt to preserve its archaeological heritage and its history and pass it on to the next generations."
An archaeological committee received the pieces, which will be displayed at the Egyptian Museum in central Cairo after they're restored, the ministry said.
Egyptian officials are constantly monitoring the internet to detect illegally smuggled artifacts, and whenever something surfaces online, they collaborate with authorities around the globe to bring them home, El-Aref said.
The prime minister of the Netherlands said just days ago that his country would return a stolen 3,500-year-old sculpture to Egypt. His announcement came after he attended the Grand Egyptian Museum's official opening ceremony on November 1.
