One of the largest Pharaonic sarcophagi returned to Egypt. It had illegally left the borders

One of the largest pharaonic wooden sarcophagi ever discovered, which was illegally smuggled out of Egypt and until recently exhibited in a U.S. museum in Houston, has been returned to Egypt. This was announced by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri. The sarcophagus, with its face painted green, measures 2.94 meters long and 90 centimeters wide; it dates to the late Pharaonic era, nearly 2,700 years ago, and was discovered incentral Egypt.

“There are two types of sarcophagi: those of royal remains and those of the remains of nobles. This one belonged to a nobleman,” said Mostafa Waziri, director of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.

In a decade, Cairo has managed to recover more than 29,000 antiques that were stolen and then resold outside Egypt. Egypt has also announced several major discoveries in recent months, mainly in the necropolis of Saqqara, south of Cairo. It unveiled more than three hundred sarcophagi and one hundred and fifty bronze statues in 2021 and 2022, many dating back more than 3,000 years.

For months Egyptian authorities have been announcing the opening of their"Great Egyptian Museum" near the Giza Plateau, but the date of its opening remains unknown.

One of the largest Pharaonic sarcophagi returned to Egypt. It had illegally left the borders

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