By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Authorities in the Netherlands on Thursday returned a 3,500-year-old sculpture to Egypt after the looted artefact made its way to a Dutch art fair in 2022.
Dutch police in collaboration with the country’s inspectorate of cultural heritage had launched a probe where it was discovered in 2025 that the sculpture had been illegally removed from Egypt, most likely during the 2011 Arab Spring unrest, before it appeared on the international art market at an art fair.
Experts believe the artefact, a stone head that was originally part of a block statue, originated from Luxor in southern Egypt. It depicts a senior official from the reign of Pharaoh Thutmose III (1479–1425 BC).
It was seized in 2022 at an art fair in the Dutch city of Maastricht.
A notable art dealer Sycomore Ancient Art, which had acquired the piece but doubted its provenance, voluntarily returned it during the inquiry.
“Our policy is to return what doesn’t belong to us and to return it always to the rightful cultural group or country”, Dutch Culture Minister Gouke Moes said while handing over the artefact to the Egyptian ambassador.
Egyptian Ambassador Emad Hanna said his country tracks artefacts that appear in exhibitions or auctions.
“It means a lot to us when it comes to tourism and economy, because at the end of the day, when tourists come to Egypt to see these things, it definitely makes a difference”, Hanna said.
