Egypt has made arrangements with Swiss authorities to return an Egyptian limestone painting currently held at the Antikenmuseum Basel (Basel Museum of Ancient Art) in Switzerland.
The 51cm-high painting is from the fifth pharaonic dynasty and depicts fishing and daily life scenes, according to a statement on Wednesday from the Antiquities Ministry.
The statement said the return of the painting to Egypt is part of a plan by the ministry to retrieve Egyptian artifacts smuggled out of the country.
In 2009, Egypt said it would sever scientific relations with universities and institutes proven to be in possession of stolen Egyptian relics.
An Egyptian delegation will fly to Switzerland next week to collect the painting, which the museum management decided to give back to Egypt upon learning it had been smuggled out.
The statement added that this is the second relic to be recovered abroad just recently after another artifact was returned from Mexico a few days ago.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
