Lebanon returns 37 smuggled Egyptian artifacts to Cairo

Lebanon has returned 37 ancient Egyptian artifacts to Egypt in a ceremony held on September 17, 2026, marking the conclusion of a multi-year effort to repatriate the items seized from the Port of Beirut in 2020. The handover took place at the National Museum of Beirut, with Lebanese Culture Minister Ghassan Salameh formally presenting the collection to Egyptian Ambassador Alaa Moussa. The artifacts, which date to the Pharaonic period, were intercepted by Lebanese authorities six years ago after arriving at the port from an unspecified Arab country. Following the seizure, a lengthy investigation was conducted to verify their identity and ownership. Salameh stated that the process confirmed the items belonged to Egypt, and the return was carried out under the framework of the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. The collection includes two wooden coffins decorated with colorful designs, funerary masks, wooden dolls, pieces of Coptic textiles, amulets made from glass paste, and medium-sized statues.