The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities said that Egypt received the head of a statue of King Ramses II dating back more than 3,400 years after it was stolen and smuggled out of the country more than three decades ago.
The Ministry added in a statement that upon receipt of this piece, it was deposited in the warehouses of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo in preparation for the necessary maintenance and restoration work before displaying it.
The head of the statue was stolen from the Temple of Ramesses II in the ancient city of Abydos in southern Egypt more than three decades ago.
The Ministry of Antiquities said that the Egyptian authorities spotted the artifact while it was being displayed for sale in a gallery in London in 2013, then it moved between several countries until it reached Switzerland.
Egypt, in cooperation with the Swiss authorities, succeeded in proving Egypt's right to this piece and that it left Egypt illegally. Switzerland handed over the piece to the Egyptian embassy in Bern last year, but it did not arrive in Egypt until recently.
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