Egypt has successfully repatriated 25 smuggled antiquities from the United States, marking a significant achievement in its ongoing efforts to recover stolen cultural heritage. The returned artifacts include ancient sarcophagus lids, a Greco-Roman mummy portrait, and fragments believed to originate from a temple associated with Queen Hatshepsut.
A notable piece among the recovered items is the "Green Coffin," a nearly 3-meter-tall wooden sarcophagus dating back to the Late Dynastic Period (664–332 B.C.). This artifact was looted from the Abusir necropolis near Cairo and smuggled into the U.S. through Germany in 2008. It eventually surfaced at the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences in 2013. U.S. authorities determined it had been illicitly trafficked and returned it to Egypt in a ceremony held in Cairo.
The repatriation was facilitated by collaborative investigations between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. These efforts are part of broader initiatives like “Operation Mummy’s Curse,” aimed at dismantling networks involved in the illegal trade of antiquities.
Over the past decade, Egypt has recovered approximately 29,000 artifacts that were illicitly taken abroad. These efforts underscore the country's commitment to preserving its rich cultural heritage and combating the trafficking of stolen antiquities.