17 November the ancient coin handover ceremony was held at the National Museum of Cairo Capital of Egyptl.
The Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Cultural Heritage Khalid Al-Anani personally handed over the 31 Chinese ancient coins seized in Egypt in early 2018 to the Chinese Ambassador in Egypt Liao Liqiang.
Cultural antiquities returned by the Egyptian government this time include some cultural antiquities smuggled from Saudi Arabia and India. Smuggled cultural relics include coins from the Han, Tang, Qing Dynasty and Republic of China coins, and can be traced back to the Western Han and even the earlier Warring States period.
Before that, experts from the State Administration of Cultural Heritage in China confirmed that more than 20 ancient coins are national cultural relics and have high cultural value.
In recent years, China and Egypt have continuously strengthened cooperation in cultural relics protection and cultural heritage exchange.
These ancient coins are the second batch of cultural antiquities returned to China by the Egyptian government since the two countries signed an agreement on the protection and return of stolen cultural property illegally trafficked from their country of origin in 2010.
UPDATE:
Egypt delivered to China ancient Chinese coins confiscated by the customs
The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Relics handed over a batch of ancient Chinese coins seized by the Egyptian customs to China at the Egyptian National Museum in Cairo on the evening of the 17th.
At the ceremony held that evening, the Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Liao Liqiang received the ancient coins from Khalid Anani, the Minister of Tourism and Cultural Heritage of Egypt, on behalf of the Chinese side.
Shi Yuewen, Cultural Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Egypt, represented the Chinese side on the handover certificate. signature.
In his speech, Liao Liqiang said that China thanked Egypt for actively implementing the agreement signed in 2010 on the protection and return of stolen cultural property from the country of origin.
This agreement has laid a solid foundation for the two countries to jointly combat illegal trafficking in cultural relics. China appreciates Egypt. Outstanding contributions to the global fight against illegal trafficking in cultural relics.
AL-Anani said: “Egypt has signed agreements with many countries around the world to combat illegal trafficking in cultural relics from countries of origin. The transfer of these ancient coins to China this time reflects Egypt’s active implementation of relevant agreements. I am proud of this.
The handover ceremony also coincides with the 118th anniversary of the founding of the National Museum of Egypt, which further demonstrates the significance of this event.”
According to the Cultural Office of the Chinese Embassy in Egypt, the Egyptian customs seized these ancient coins in early 2019, including coins from the Han and Tang dynasties, which have high cultural value.
