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Cairo (dpa) - The University of Tubingen in Germany has agreed to return to Egypt five ancient artifacts that were stolen from the tomb of 19th Dynasty Pharaoh Seti I, Egypt's Minister of Culture, Farouq Hosny, said Thursday.
Hosny said that the historic artifacts would be returned to Egypt in June. "Seti I's tomb was subjected to numerous acts of theft throughout the last century. Travellers hacked pieces out of the tomb's walls which are now in collections around the world," he noted.
The Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Zahi Hawwas, said that "this achievement embodied the strong diplomatic and cultural relations between Egypt and Germany and between the SCA and the University of Tubingen."
Three years ago a similar gesture was made by the Michael C. Carlos Museum in Atlanta, Georgia when it returned the royal mummy of Ramses I, the father of Seti I.
While praising these gestures, the SCA denounced the decision of the Saint Louis Art Museum which has refused to return the stolen ancient Egyptian mask of Ka-nefer-nefer.
Copyright 2006 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH
