Egypt retrieves 36 artifacts from US

CAIRO, Nov 6 (KUNA) -- Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced on Thursday that it had retrieved 36 artifacts from the US, which had been smuggled out of the country illegally.
A statement by the Ministry said that the retrieved items were returned to the country through Egyptian-US authorities' cooperation.
The retrieved artifacts were divided into three batches; one including 11 items, among them was a mummy facemask belonging to a youth from the Roman era.
The second batch comprised 24 items, mostly rare pamphlets written in Coptic and Syriac, while the third batch included a colored plaster panel dating back to the 18th Dynasty of Egypt. (end) aff.gta