Turkey Repatriates Smuggled Artifacts to Egypt

ANKARA, TURKEY—Hürriyet Daily News reports that Turkish officials repatriated more than 150 artifacts to Egyptian officials during a ceremony at Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Ministry. The objects were seized during the search of a home and were evaluated by researchers from the Fethiye Museum. While some of the objects had originated in Anatolia and other countries, it was determined that many of the objects, including figurines, seals, necklace fragments, and amulets dated to between 4000 B.C. and the first century A.D. had come from Egypt. As part of the ceremony, representatives of the two nations signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Tourism Cooperation as part of their celebration to mark 100 years of diplomatic relations between the countries, and their commitment to fight the looting and smuggling of antiquities. “We approached this process as if we were working on our own artifacts, and we have successfully completed it,” commented deputy minister Gökhan Yazgı. To read about ongoing efforts to restore paintings in an Egyptian temple to their original brilliance, go to "An Egyptian Temple Reborn."