Egypt reclaims 3,400-year-old statue of King Ramses ll illegally smuggled overseas
Egypt has welcomed home a 3,400-year-old statue depicting the head of King Ramses II after it was stolen and smuggled out of the country more than three decades ago.
The country’s Antiquities Ministry, on Sunday, said the statue is now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo but not on display.
“It is part of a mass statue depicting King Ramses II seated next to a number of Egyptian gods,” the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said.
The artefact, which dates back to more than 3,400 years, was taken from the Ramses II temple in the ancient city of Abydosa
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Egyptian authorities spotted it in 2013, when it went up for sale at a gallery in London.
The statue then moved to several countries until it reached Switzerland, where it was reclaimed in collaboration with Swiss authorities.
The ministry said that Egypt proved that it had rights to the piece and that the artefact left its borders illegally.
It will undergo restoration and maintenance at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
