Netherlands to Return 3,500-Year-Old Artifact to Egypt

 Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof announced on Sunday that the Netherlands will return a 3,500-year-old ancient Egyptian statue to Egypt. The declaration came during his official visit to Cairo, where he met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

The artifact, which dates back to the reign of Pharaoh Thutmose III (1479–1425 BCE), depicts a senior official from the pharaoh’s court and is believed to have been stolen and illegally smuggled out of Egypt, likely during the Arab Spring unrest, before resurfacing in the international art market, according to a report by Reuters.

Prime Minister Schoof said that the historic piece had been confiscated from an art fair in the southern Dutch city of Maastricht in 2022, after an anonymous tip alerted authorities to its suspicious provenance.

Following an investigation by the Dutch Police and the Cultural Heritage Inspectorate, it was confirmed that the statue had indeed been illegally removed from Egypt. The art dealer involved voluntarily surrendered the piece after the inquiry concluded.

The Dutch government stated that the artifact is expected to be officially handed over to the Egyptian Ambassador in the Netherlands before the end of the year, though a specific date for the restitution has not yet been announced.