Netherlands to return 3,500-year-old Egyptian sculpture looted during Arab Spring

The Netherlands has decided to return the 3,500-year-old sculpture possibly stolen from Egypt during the Arab Spring in 2011 or 2012 and exported illegally to the Netherlands.

At the opening ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof pledged to return the stone head, which dates back to the time of the pharaohs.

The ancient artifact first resurfaced in 2022 when it went up for sale at The European Fine Art Foundation fair.

It was voluntarily relinquished by the dealer after authorities found out about its illegal origin.

The government said the sculpture, believed to belong to the dynasty of Pharaoh Thutmose III, is deeply meaningful to Egypt’s identity and promised to return it to the Egyptian ambassador by the end of this year.

The government states that this gesture shows the Netherland’s commitment to the return of heritage to its original owners.

This news comes as Egypt opened its Grand Egyptian Museum containing nearly 100,000 artifacts. 

It remains unclear if the returned sculpture will be placed in the museum or some place else.

Several renowned Egyptologists expect the government to intensify demands for antiquities held by other countries to be returned.