A 3 400-year-old statue depicting King Ramses II was returned to Egypt on Sunday, 21 April, after it was stolen more than three decades ago.

The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities released a statement via Facebook, welcoming the artefact home. The ministry went on to explain that the stone head was “part of a mass statue depicting King Ramses II seated next to a number of Egyptian gods.”

Ramses ruled from 1279 to 1213 BC and is remembered as one of the most powerful pharaohs from the country.

According to reports, the statue was originally taken from the Ramses II temple in the city of Abydos, which is one of the oldest cities of ancient Egypt. It was believed to have been smuggled out of the country.

The artefact seemed to disappear for several years until 2013, when it was spotted by Egyptian authorities at an art exhibition in London, England. The antiquities ministry believes the statue moved to several different countries before it reached Switzerland, which was willing to return the head of Ramses to its rightful place.

The statue will undergo the necessary maintenance and restoration work in Cairo before authorities consider it for public display.

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