Sharjah: Hundreds of Egyptian antique objects seized by the UAE customs authorities were handed back to Egyptian authorities in Cairo on Saturday.
A total of 354 antiques, seized at Sharjah International Airport, were handed over in the presence of His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.
Dr Shaikh Sultan arrived in Cairo for an official visit to participate in the World Youth Forum, which will be held in Sharm Al Shaikh on Sunday.
Upon his arrival, Dr Shaikh Sultan presented 354 antiques as a gift to the Egyptians. The antiques were seized and confiscated by customs officials at Sharjah International Airport. The pieces have a very important value as most of them date back to the Pharaonic period and some belong to the Islamic era.
Abdullah Al Owais, chairman of the Sharjah Department of Culture and Information, handed over the gift to the Egyptian side.
The Ruler of Sharjah was keen to deliver these antique pieces under his personal supervision to the representatives of the Egyptian Ministry of Antiques.
While in Egypt, Dr Shaikh Sultan is set to visit a number of medical institutes, cultural and educational centers.
At the airport, the Sharjah Ruler was received by Dr Mustafa Madbouli, Minister of Housing of Egypt; Juma Mubarak Al Junaibi, UAE Ambassador to Egypt; Abdullah Mohammad Al Owais; Mohammad Obaid Al Za’abi, Director of Sharjah Department of Protocol and Guesthouses; Mohammad Hassan Khalaf, director-general of Sharjah Media Corporation; Shaaban Abdul Jawad, director of the Central Department of Antiques at the Antiques Department in Egypt; and a number of representatives of the Ministry of Antiquities and senior officials in the Egyptian Presidential Department.
