A looted ancient sarcophagus displayed at the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences was handed over to Egypt by the US, the Associated Press reports. The sarcophagus was returned last week, more than three months after an investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office revealed that it was illegally smuggled into the country from Abusir Necropolis in Cairo back in 2008. The sarcophagus will be moved to the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square to undergo restoration work, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mostafa Waziri said in a phone call with Al Hadath Al Youm (watch, runtime: 5:02.)
This is the latest success in repatriating stolen artifacts back to the country: Egyptian authorities managed to get 5.3k antiquities returned to the country in 2021.