Stolen 3,400-year-old statue returns to Egypt

An Egyptian statue aged more than 3,000 years old has arrived back home, over three decades since it was stolen and smuggled out of the country, authorities have said.

The statue depicts the head of the ancient Egyptian King Ramses II, who was one of Egypt's most powerful rulers.

It is "part of a mass statue depicting King Ramses II seated next to a number of Egyptian gods", the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said on Sunday.

The artefact, which dates back more than 3,400 years, was taken from the Ramses II temple in the ancient city of Abydos.

Egyptian authorities spotted it in 2013 when it went up for sale at a gallery in London. The statue then moved to several countries until it reached Switzerland, where it was reclaimed in collaboration with Swiss authorities.

The antiquities ministry said that Egypt proved that it had rights to the piece and that the artefact left its borders illegally.

It will undergo restoration and maintenance at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.