Jordan returns artefacts to Egypt after foiling smuggling attempt

AMMAN — The Jordan Customs Department recently foiled an attempt to smuggle around 340 genuine and fake artefacts through the Aqaba Special Economic Zone on the Jordanian-Egyptian border, Department of Antiquities (DoA) Director General Monther Jamhawi said on Tuesday.

The DoA returned the artefacts to Egypt on Tuesday after the conclusion of judicial investigations, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Tourism Minister Lina Annab highlighted the importance of effective cooperation between Jordan and Egypt in all fields, noting that during her recent visit to Egypt, an agreement was reached to prepare joint programmes to promote tourism between both countries. 

Jamhawi said Jordan plays an “important role” in combating the trade and smuggling of artefacts through its commitment to international conventions and agreements, noting that the authorities have confiscated and returned artefacts to Iraq, Egypt and Yemen. 

He said that returning the confiscated artefacts is in line with the recommendations of the “Cultural Property under Threat” conference, held in Cairo in 2015. 

Jamhawi added that during the conference, the Jordanian and Egyptian governments signed an agreement of joint cooperation to conserve and retrieve stolen cultural properties and to combat illegal trade in artefacts.