As part of the ongoing efforts made by the Egyptian state to restore its cultural and historical heritage, yesterday, a group of Egyptian artifacts were recovered from the State of Ireland, following the successful visit of His Excellency the President to the Irish capital, Dublin, on December 11, 2024.
This step is the culmination of efforts that continued for more than a year and a half, with the aim of recovering these artifacts, which were in the possession of the Irish University of Cork, which showed cooperation. greatly facilitates the recovery process. All final details related to this matter were finalized on the sidelines of His Excellency the President’s recent visit to Dublin.
Mr. Sherif Fathi, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, praised the great cooperation between all concerned parties. At home and abroad, represented by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its embassy in Dublin, the Embassy of the State of Ireland in Cairo, as well as Cork University, which expressed its desire to return the artifacts to their original homeland, Egypt, offering them sincere thanks for this kind gesture, which is an important step in strengthening cultural relations. And the growing scientific knowledge between the two countries.
Dr. Muhammad Ismail, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained that the recovery of these artifacts was carried out in accordance with the bilateral agreement that was recently signed between the Supreme Council of Antiquities and the University of Cork. Irish, pointing out that the university had acquired these pieces during the period between 1920 and 1930, including a colorful wooden coffin containing the remains of a mummy and a group of utensils. The canopy made of limestone contains the entrails of the deceased.
He indicated that these recovered pieces will be deposited in the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir for restoration in preparation for displaying them in a temporary exhibition about what was recovered from Antiquities recently.
For his part, Mr. Shaaban Abdel-Gawad, Director General of the General Administration for the Recovery of Antiquities and Supervisor of the Central Administration, said: According to archaeological outlets, the canopic vessels that were recovered belonged to a priest named “Ba War,” from the 22nd Dynasty of the Late Period, and he had many titles, most notably “Father of God.” And “Guardian of God’s Fields.” As for the wooden coffin, it is from the Sawi era of a person called “Hoor.” He had the title of “Lotus Bearer.” Inside the coffin were the remains of a mummy and a number of its teeth, which research has proven to be likely those of the coffin’s owner. Also among the recovered pieces are five pieces of colored cartonage from the Greco-Roman era, which were used to cover the mummy.
