Switzerland Returns Stolen Piece of Ramses II Statue to Egypt

On Monday, Switzerland returned a piece of a 3,400-year-old statue of Ramses II, the Pharaoh of Egypt, which had been stolen over 30 years ago, to Egypt. According to Agence France-Presse, Karin Bachmann, head of the Federal Office of Culture, handed over the piece to the Egyptian embassy in Bern, the capital of Switzerland. This ancient artifact was part of confiscated property under a criminal proceeding in Geneva and was returned to Egypt under Switzerland's 'International Transfer of Cultural Property' law. The Ministry of Culture stated: 'The stone statue of Pharaoh Ramses II is part of a group statue collection where the king is seated alongside various ancient Egyptian gods.' The statement noted that 'this piece was stolen from the Temple of Ramses II in the city of Abydos, Egypt, between the late 1980s and early 1990s and passed through several countries before arriving in Switzerland.' The Ministry of Culture mentioned that since ancient Egyptian historical objects are highly sought after, the country in North Africa has been significantly affected by the looting and destruction of its archaeological sites. The ministry stated: 'This return emphasizes the shared commitment of Switzerland and Egypt to combat the illegal trade in cultural property.' Ramses II, also known as Ramses the Great, ruled powerfully for over 60 years in the 13th century BC, bringing stability and prosperity to Egypt, and apparently had time to father 100 children. The dazzling coffin of Ramses II has been on display in a touring exhibition in Paris since spring this year, which continues until late summer. The mummified body of the pharaoh remains in Egypt, as current Egyptian laws prohibit the transport of royal mummified bodies abroad.