Switzerland returns a piece of statue of Ramesses II to Egypt

Egypt recovered a piece of a statue belonging to the pharaoh “Ramesses II” that had been stolen over three decades ago from one of the pharaonic temples.

Reports indicate that Switzerland has returned to Egypt a piece of the statue of Ramesses II dating back 3400 years, which was stolen from a temple in Abydos.

Karen Bachmann, the director of the Federal Office of Culture, handed over this “important archaeological piece” to the Egyptian embassy in Bern on Monday, according to Agence France-Presse.

The statue of the pharaoh Ramesses II, to which this piece belongs, is part of a collective statue depicting the king seated alongside a number of Egyptian deities, according to the Federal Office of Culture.

Ramesses II ruled Egypt for approximately 66 years, ascending to the throne at the age of 25 after his father Seti I, marking the longest reign in Egyptian history.

Currently, there is an exhibition dedicated to him in Paris, which will continue until September 6th.

The Federal Office of Culture explained that the piece returned to Egypt on Monday was stolen from the Temple of Ramesses II in Abydos between the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The piece had passed through several countries before reaching Switzerland, where it was seized by the authorities of the Canton of Geneva after criminal proceedings.

The Federal Office of Culture pointed out that “the return of this piece confirms the joint commitment of Switzerland and Egypt to combat illicit trafficking of cultural property, which was reinforced in 2011 through the entry into force of a bilateral agreement on the importation and restitution of cultural property,” according to the French agency.