Beirut: Minister of Culture Ghassan Salameh handed over to Egypt's Ambassador to Lebanon, Alaa Moussa, a collection of antiquities dating back to the Pharaonic civilization that had been illegally smuggled from Egypt into Lebanon. The handover took place during a ceremony held at the National Museum, in the presence of members of the Egyptian Embassy in Lebanon, Colonel Ghattas Moussa, Head of the Office for Combating International Crimes and Theft, representing the Directorate General of Internal Security Forces, and Laure Salloum, Officer in Charge of Repatriation Files at the Directorate General of Antiquities.
According to National news agency - Lebanon, the Minister of Culture welcomed the ambassador and guests, emphasizing the significance of the event by highlighting the strict enforcement of the 1970 international convention aimed at preventing the illicit trafficking of cultural property. He noted that the antiquities had been seized at the Port of Beirut six years ago, and through collaboration with Egypt, INTERPOL, and Lebanon's Public Prosecutor's Office, the ownership and authenticity of these artifacts were verified. The minister expressed hope that other countries would reciprocate by returning unlawfully possessed cultural property.
The minister also shared that the U.S. government is returning cultural property to Lebanon, which was unlawfully found in New York. The Lebanese Consul in New York received it last week. The handover to Egypt, he mentioned, included 37 pieces seized at the Port of Beirut in 2020, which would now enrich the new Cairo Museum.
Egyptian Ambassador Alaa Moussa expressed gratitude to Minister Salameh and the Lebanese authorities for their cooperation in recovering the artifacts. He acknowledged the efforts of all Lebanese authorities and highlighted the importance of this experience as a model for international cooperation to preserve human memory.
The collection handed over includes wooden coffins, masks, wooden dolls, Coptic textiles, glass paste amulets, and medium-sized statues. The Financial Public Prosecutor's Office had issued a judicial mandate on September 12, 2023, authorizing the handover of these antiquities to the Egyptian authorities.
The Ministry of Culture - Directorate General of Antiquities reaffirmed its commitment to protecting and recovering cultural property and called on Lebanese citizens to declare and register cultural or archaeological property with the Directorate General of Antiquities to preserve cultural heritage in accordance with legal procedures.