(MENAFN) Twenty-five historically and artistically important artifacts from various eras of ancient Egyptian civilization have been returned to Egypt from the United States, according to an announcement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry on Monday.

Operating out of New York, the Egyptian Consulate General played a key role in the return of these artifacts, a recovery the ministry celebrated as the most substantial retrieval of unlawfully trafficked antiquities in recent memory.

The recovered collection features significant pieces such as stone and wooden sarcophagus lids, ceramic and gilded wooden funerary masks, a sizable alabaster vase, and a portrait of a woman from the Greco-Roman period (approximately 332 BC-640 AD).

The repatriated collection also includes a variety of jewelry crafted from different metals, a noteworthy gold coin dating back to the rule of Ptolemy I, and small bronze and stone statues that depict aspects of ancient Egyptian religious beliefs and artistic traditions.

This recovery was achieved through a collaborative effort involving the Egyptian Consulate General in New York, the relevant district attorney's office in New York City, and U.S. security agencies. The operation also entailed lengthy discussions with several private collectors who possessed the artifacts.

Further assistance was provided by pertinent Egyptian bodies, including the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the Cultural Sector of the Foreign Ministry, and the Public Prosecution Service.

In recent years, Egypt has increased its international efforts to retrieve stolen antiquities, enhancing its initiatives to safeguard and reclaim its ancient heritage.

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