Egypt receives ancient funerary mask from Switzerland

Switzerland returned to Egypt on Wednesday an ancient funerary mask dating back to the Ptolemaic period, more than 2,000 years after it was created.

Swiss customs intercepted the mask in 2022, and it was later authenticated as an Egyptian antiquity. It was officially handed over in Bern by Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider to Egypt’s Ambassador to Switzerland, Mohamed Negm.

The return marks another milestone in cooperation between Switzerland and Egypt to protect cultural heritage and combat the illicit trafficking of cultural property.

Since 2011, Switzerland has returned around 80 cultural objects to Egypt.