Egypt recovers ancient mask from Switzerland, boosting calls for repatriation
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Egypt received a funerary mask from Switzerland dating back to the Ptolemaic period, prompting archaeologists and specialists to renew demands for the return of Egyptian artifacts taken abroad.
The Swiss embassy in Egypt announced the repatriation of the 2,000-year-old mask on Wednesday, after Swiss customs officials intercepted it in 2022 and experts verified its Egyptian origin. Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider formally handed the mask over to the Egyptian ambassador to Switzerland, Mohamed Naguib, in Bern.
This return is part of ongoing collaboration between Switzerland and Egypt to protect cultural heritage and combat illegal trafficking of cultural property. Since 2011, Switzerland has returned approximately 80 cultural artifacts to Egypt. Dr. Dina Soliman, a specialist in Egyptian and Near Eastern archaeology, described the mask’s recovery as an important step, not only for its artistic value but also for what it reveals about ancient Egyptian beliefs surrounding death during the Ptolemaic period.
Egypt has recovered around 30,000 artifacts smuggled out of the country over the last decade, according to previous statements from the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities. Archaeologist Dr. Abdel Rahim Rihan noted that unequal agreements regarding intellectual property rights pose the biggest obstacle to recovering artifacts, and he proposed creating an independent agency dedicated to repatriating Egyptian antiquities and securing financial compensation from museums displaying Egyptian artifacts.
