Friday, April 29, 2011

Looted Egyptian artefact due to return this week from Mexico

hawass.com

Press Release.

An ancient Egyptian object, a limestone relief panel, will return to Egypt from Mexico. The relief, which depicts the head of an unidentified person, has been in the custody of Mexican customs for three years. It is currently at the Egyptian Embassy in Mexico City and will return to Egypt shortly.

Upon the object’s arrival in Cairo, it will undergo restoration, in order to be exhibited at the Egyptian Museum, stated Ahmed Mostafa, the Head of the Recovered Antiquities Department.

Ahram Online (Nevine El Aref)

After three years in custody at the customs office in Mexico pending bureaucratic paperwork and permissions, Egypt is soon to recuperate one of its genuine artefacts.

The object is a New Kingdom limestone relief depicting an unidentified face of a private individual. The relief, which was illegally smuggled out of the country, is now at the Egyptian embassy in Mexico waiting to be brought back to Cairo as a diplomatic package.

Egypt State Information Service


Egypt restored Wednesday 27/4/2011 a New Kingdom archaeological piece that was on display at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico.

The limestone slab, which depicts a human head, was seized with a Mexican citizen three years ago.

Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs Zahi Hawwas said the Egyptian Foreign Ministry and the embassy in Mexico coordinated with the Mexican authorities in charge to restore the piece after sending a delegation to Mexico to make sure the monument was genuine.

Mexico agreed to hand over the antique to Egyptian ambassador in Mexico Ibrahim Khairi.

2 comments:

Dr. Werner Voigt said...

The Mexican press today published additional details: The piece was found by Mexican Customs officials in 2006 among a number of parcels which had arrived at Mexico City International Airport. According to specialists from the National Anthropology Museum, the piece is apparently from Aswan and dates to the Middle Kingdom (betw. 2055 and 1650 BCE) It measures 15.6 cm. high, 15 cm. wide and has a thickness of 2.8 cm. In a ceremony at the National Anthropology Museum on April 27, it was turned over to Egypt's ambassador, His Excellency Ibrahim Khairat, by Dr. Diana Magalloni, the Director of the National Anthropology Museum in the presence of Assistant Director of World Heritage of the National Institute of Archaeology and History, Mr. Francisco Vidargas, and the coordinator for international affairs of the Mexican Justice Department (PGR), Mr. Guillermo Valls Esponda. The relief, for the moment,is in the custody of the Egyptian Embassy in Mexico City.

Andie said...

Many thanks for the additional information.