Egypt Recovers Nearly 30,000 Ancient Artifacts in a Decade

Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Sherif Fathy, said in his address at the 9th Ministerial Meeting of the Forum of Ancient Civilizations in Athens that Egypt has successfully recovered nearly 30,000 antiquities over the past decade.

This achievement, he noted, is the result of strict legislation, strong diplomatic cooperation, and close monitoring by the General Administration of Repatriated Antiquities of international auction houses and markets. He added that Egypt has signed several bilateral agreements with countries including the United States, Italy, Switzerland, Cyprus, Lebanon, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, in addition to ongoing cooperation with UNESCO, Interpol, and the International Council of Museums.

Concluding his speech, the minister stressed that Egypt will continue to support global efforts to protect cultural heritage, enhance measures to combat the illicit trafficking of cultural property, build capacity, and advance documentation, digitization, and scientific research projects, affirming that cultural heritage unites peoples and that safeguarding it is a shared responsibility to be passed on to future generations.