SWITZERLAND RETURNS 2,000-YEAR-OLD GOLDEN FUNERARY MASK

CAIRO, SEPTEMBER 16 /SRNA/ – Egypt has received an ancient golden funerary mask back from Switzerland as part of efforts by the country to recover artifacts that were illegally taken out of Egypt, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.

The Egyptian Embassy in Bern coordinated with the Swiss authorities on the process of returning the artifact. Egyptian Ambassador Mohamed Nagm received the mask on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

"This repatriation reflects the growing cooperation between Egypt and Switzerland in the field of protecting cultural property and combating the illegal trafficking of antiquities," the Ministry said.

The Swiss Embassy in Cairo said that the ancient funerary mask dates back to the Ptolemaic period and is therefore more than 2,000 years old. The statement said that since 2011, Switzerland has returned around 80 artifacts to Egypt, Xinhua reported.

"The return of the mask represents another important milestone in the long-standing cooperation between Switzerland and Egypt in protecting cultural heritage and combating the illegal trafficking of cultural property," the Embassy said.