The handover comes as part of ongoing efforts by Egyptian diplomatic missions overseas to retrieve antiquities illegally taken out of the country, in cooperation with authorities in host nations.

It builds on years of cooperation between Cairo and Bern on protecting cultural property, as the two governments cooperate and work to curb the illegal trade in archaeological artefacts and protect Egyptian heritage from exploitation and unlawful trafficking.

Egypt’s Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy said last month that the ministry has recovered more than 1,500 antiquities in recent years and that officials are monitoring international auction houses and the dark web for looted Egyptian pieces