Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Renowned Egyptian archaeologist and former Minister of Antiquities, Dr. Zahi Hawass, has strongly condemned the British colonial era for what he describes as a systematic looting of Egypt’s cultural heritage and natural resources. Speaking in recent remarks, Hawass likened the British presence in Egypt from 1882 to 1956 to an “assault” on the Nile Valley and the country’s ancient tombs, accusing the colonial powers of orchestrating the largest theft of antiquities in Egypt’s modern history.
“British colonialism did not merely occupy Egypt politically it pillaged its soul,” Hawass said. “The Nile was metaphorically raped, and our tombs were stripped bare.”
The Rosetta Stone: A Symbol of Looted Heritage
Hawass pointed to the Rosetta Stone as perhaps the most iconic symbol of cultural theft. Discovered in July 1799 by a French officer during Napoleon Bonaparte’s expedition, the stone was seized by the British under the Treaty of Alexandria in 1801. By 1802, it was on display at the British Museum in London, where it remains to this day.
“This agreement between two occupying powers France and Britain had no legitimacy in granting either the right to claim ownership over Egypt’s heritage,” Hawass said. “The Rosetta Stone belongs in Egypt, not behind glass in a foreign capital.”
The Case of Tutankhamun’s Tomb
Hawass also revisited the controversy surrounding Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter, the English aristocrat and archaeologist who unearthed the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922. According to Hawass, Carter gifted or smuggled numerous artifacts from the tomb to various institutions and individuals, including 19 items now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
He noted that items such as the statue of Nefertum and other artifacts from Tutankhamun’s tomb were inappropriately moved or given away some even ending up in Ramesses II’s tomb, which was itself looted.
“These were not legitimate transfers,” Hawass emphasized. “They were gifts and movements that occurred under the shadow of colonial control, without any consent from the Egyptian people.”
The British Museum and the Scale of the Plunder
Today, the British Museum dedicates seven entire galleries to ancient Egyptian artifacts, ranging from statues and sarcophagi to mummies, jewelry, and historical papyri. Many of these items left Egypt under suspicious or clearly illegal circumstances, often during a period when the country was under foreign occupation or politically weakened.
According to Magdy Shaker, chief archaeologist at Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities, more than one million Egyptian artifacts are currently displayed in around 40 international museums. Britain alone is estimated to hold up to 200,000 Egyptian pieces, not including thousands more stored in museum vaults and undocumented holdings.
“Britain is the most active hub for selling Egyptian antiquities through online auctions,” Shaker added. “Everything from sphinx beards to full ships used in ancient funerary rites items seized during naval encounters like the Battle of Aboukir Bay are now up for sale or on display in foreign museums.”
A Call for Repatriation and Accountability
Both Hawass and Shaker underscored that the British museums are not merely preserving history, but are harboring the spoils of imperial plunder. They called on the international community to take concrete action toward the repatriation of stolen antiquities, particularly as awareness grows about historical injustices carried out during the colonial period.
“The theft of Egypt’s heritage is not just a crime of the past,” said Hawass. “It’s an ongoing wound, a continued denial of cultural sovereignty. These artifacts are not trophies, they are sacred parts of our identity.”
In recent years, Egypt has ramped up its global efforts to reclaim looted antiquities, scoring several high-profile repatriation victories. However, as the debate over colonial legacies intensifies worldwide, calls for the return of Egypt’s stolen treasures including the Rosetta Stone are becoming increasingly urgent and politically charged.
“The time has come,” Hawass concluded, “for the world’s museums to recognize that the age of empire is over. Justice begins with returning what was never theirs to take.”
