Egypt regained on Wednesday a relic dating back nearly 3000 years, which was being held at the National Museum of Culture in Mexico City.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities said the artifact was a piece of limestone with a carved head dating back to the Modern Kingdom (1569-1081 BC).
In the statement, Minister of Antiquities Zahi Hawass said the artifact had been in the possession of the Mexican authorities for the past three years after it was seized from a Mexican citizen. He went on to say that he had previously sent a delegation to Mexico to inspect the piece and establish its authenticity.
Hawass said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Egyptian Embassy in Mexico contacted the Mexican attorney general and the National Institute of Anthropology to assert Egypt’s right to restore the relic.
Hawass added that Egypt’s Ambassador to Mexico Ibrahim Ahdi would be responsible for returning the artifact via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ diplomatic pouch. The statement noted that the Mexican attorney general's office agreed to hand over the artifact to the Egyptian Embassy representative at the Mexican attorney general’s office.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
