A funerary mask dating back more than 2,000 years has returned to Egypt after Swiss customs authorities stopped it at the border in 2022 and subsequently confirmed its Egyptian origin.
The Ptolemaic-era artifact was officially handed over to Egypt’s Ambassador to Switzerland, Mohamed Negm, by Swiss Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider in Bern.
The mask was intercepted by Swiss customs authorities in September 2022 while passing through the Bardonnex customs border in Geneva. Following its seizure, the Swiss Federal Office of Culture requested an expert examination to determine the object’s origin and authenticity.
An Egyptology specialist subsequently confirmed that the mask was an authentic Egyptian antiquity dating to the middle of the Ptolemaic period.
The repatriation reflects longstanding cooperation between Switzerland and Egypt in protecting cultural heritage and combating the illicit trafficking of cultural property.
Switzerland and Egypt have maintained a bilateral agreement on the import, transit and return of cultural property since 2011. Under the framework of this cooperation, Switzerland has returned around 80 cultural objects to Egypt.
The latest return adds another chapter to Egypt’s ongoing efforts to recover cultural objects and combat the illicit trafficking of cultural property.
After more than two millennia, the ancient funerary mask has returned to Egypt, the country where it was created.
