Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah, announced last week that the Emirates will be returning a trove of hundreds of ancient Egyptian treasures back to Egypt in honor of the North African nation’s pivotal contributions to the region over the years.
With 425 artifacts spanning a number of major chapters in Egyptian history including the pre-dynastic era, as early as 4,000 B.C., and from the Old, Middle, and New kingdoms, as well as the Ptolemaic, Greco-Roman, and Coptic eras.
In an official statement, Sheikh Al Qasimi stated that this comes in “appreciation to Egypt, which played and is still playing an active educational and enlightening role in the Arab world.”
The artifacts include stone, porcelain, wooden, glazed, and bronze statues for a number of famous ancient Egyptian deities such as Isis and Amon-Ra. Furthermore, the trove has a collection of wooden coffins decorated in a myriad of colors, both human and animal mummies, bracelets and necklaces made of precious stones, in addition to effigies of falcons and fish made of alabaster and wood.
Last year, Sharjah also returned an additional 345 artifacts of value to Egypt as a gesture of goodwill and cooperation between the UAE and Egypt.
