Egypt Recovers Ancient Statue Head of King Ramses II from Switzerland

On Sunday, Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, in cooperation with the Supreme Council of Antiquities, announced the successful recovery of a significant ancient artifact — the head of a statue of King Ramses II.

This important piece was returned to Egypt from Switzerland after being identified at the Egyptian Embassy in Bern in July, following its illegal export decades ago.

Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, emphasized the dedicated efforts made to retrieve stolen Egyptian artifacts. He expressed appreciation for the support from the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the International Cooperation Administration of the Attorney General's Office, and Swiss authorities, which played crucial roles in the artifact's recovery.

Shaaban Abdel Gawad, Director-General of the Department for the Recovery of Antiquities, provided details about the recovery process. The statue head was initially delivered to the Egyptian Embassy in Bern and later transported back to Egypt. He noted that the artifact was over 3,400 years old, originally taken from Ramses II’s temple in Abydos, and had been missing for over 30 years.

Upon its return, the artifact was stored at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square to undergo necessary restoration and preservation work.

This repatriation marks a victory in Egypt's ongoing efforts to combat the illegal trafficking of cultural properties, supported by an agreement with Switzerland. The artifact was first spotted in a London gallery in 2013 and had traveled through several countries before its final interception in Switzerland.