An Egyptian archaeologist initiated a petition for the repatriation of Nefertiti

Dr. Zahi Hawass, former Egyptian Minister of Antiquities and renowned archaeologist, launched a change.org petition calling on Germany to return the colored limestone bust of Queen Nefertiti to Egypt. The bust is now kept in the New Museum in Berlin. Hawass aims to collect 25,000 signatures on this petition, and six days after publication, the number of signatures has reached almost 22,000.

Zahi Hawass published this petition on October 18, addressing his complaint to three responsible persons in Germany: Claudia Roth, Minister of State for Culture and Media; Hermann Partzinger, President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation; and Friederike Seyfried, director of the Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection of the New Museum in Berlin. In his petition, Hawass wrote: “I am writing on behalf of Egyptians and all those who strongly advocate the return of Egyptian heritage to its homeland, to demand the return of the Nefertiti statue made of colored limestone, which is registered to the Neue Museum in Berlin under the number AM 21300.” .

The petition reads: “This unique bust with its historical and aesthetic value is now in Germany. It is time to bring him back to Egypt.” Hawass believes the bust should be returned to Egypt as it is one of the most important archaeological exhibits in the country. He stated that the purpose of the petition is to resume the dialogue on the return of the statue and to receive a positive response from the German authorities.

Dr. Zahi Hawass called for more Egyptian signatures to create public pressure for the return of Egyptian artifacts from abroad. During a phone conversation on MBC Masr’s Al-Heqayyah program, Hawass asked media personality Amr Adib to show the website on the program. He told Amr Adib: “If every two weeks you show an invitation on the screen and tell people to sign because people love you and listen to your words, you will help us in a popular campaign.”

The bust of Queen Nefertiti, believed to have been created in 1345 BC, has been in Berlin since 1922 after it was discovered by the German Oriental Society during excavations at the ruins of Akhetaten (now Tel el Amarna) on 6 December 1912 year German Egyptologist Ludwig Borchardt led the excavations. The bust was brought to Germany in 1913 and is estimated at 400 million euros ($433 million). Its height is approximately 50 centimeters.

Zahi Hawass claims that the bust “was brazenly stolen from Egypt by the Germans in 1913, when it was hidden and smuggled out of the country, despite laws that made it illegal to take ‘exceptional’ archaeological finds out of Egypt.” He insists that Ludwig Borchardt took the bust of Nefertiti out of the country under false pretenses.

The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, which oversees Berlin’s museum collections, says the bust was obtained legally. According to Stephan Mühler, spokesman for the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, “the bust of Nefertiti was found during excavations authorized by the Egyptian Antiquities Authority.” He stated that “the bust was taken out of the country on legal grounds, and the Egyptian government does not make demands for restitution.” Mühler cited an agreement with Egyptian authorities that detailed a 50-50 split of the roughly 10,000 artifacts found in exchange for funding provided by German cotton and textile magnate James Simon.

However, some people deny this arrangement of events. According to the online resource Returning Heritage, “the state of Egypt at the time retained the right to veto all objects they considered too important to leave the country.” The author of the report, Lewis McNaught, noted that perhaps Borchardt was able to “distort the importance” of the bust.

The demand to return the bust of Nefertiti to Egypt is not new; it has been going on for centuries. The first request for the return of the bust was made by the Egyptian government in 1924. Zahi Hawassa’s request is based on international agreements on the protection of cultural heritage, including the 1970 UNESCO Convention. He believes that the return of the bust would be a significant step in restoring Egypt’s heritage.

Monica Hanna, an Egyptian archaeologist, has publicly called for the “decolonization of Egyptian archaeology.” She questions the story that the bust was the Egyptian ambassador in Berlin. Hanna told Deutsche Welle: “The ambassador entails a diplomatic exchange,” asking if Egypt received anything important in return, such as “a crown of (Prussian monarch) Frederick the Great or a painting by Albrecht Dürer.” She added: “I don’t think we have. If you send an ambassador to one side, he becomes a hostage.” Hanna argues that the initiative to repatriate the bust of Nefertiti is causing resistance because it “would set a precedent that would pave the way for the return of many different objects seized during colonialism.”

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Zahi Hawassa’s petition also calls for the return of the Rosetta Stone and the Dender Zodiac, Egyptian antiquities held in Britain and France. The Rosetta Stone, on display at the British Museum in London, is an ancient Egyptian stone with inscriptions in several languages and scripts that served as the key to unlocking the mysteries of hieroglyphic writing. The Dendera Zodiac is a giant stone diagram from a temple in Egypt that dates to the mid-1st century BC and is now in the Louvre in Paris.

The issue of repatriation of cultural artifacts has gained relevance in recent years. The Prussian Heritage Foundation has acknowledged the presence of stolen colonial artworks such as the Benin Bronze in its collections. In 2022, some of Benin’s bronze medals were returned to Nigeria from Germany.

The bust of Queen Nefertiti became a major tourist attraction and part of Berlin’s public consciousness during its long exile. German officials insist that the sculpture will remain in Berlin. The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation believes the bust of Nefertiti was legally obtained from Egypt after it was found in the ruins of the city of Amarna, a short-lived capital during the time of Pharaoh Akhenaten, Nefertiti’s husband. After the death of Pharaoh Akhenaten, the city of Amarna, which is located on the east bank of the Nile River, was abandoned in 1335 BC.

Many ordinary people support Zaha Hawassa’s demands to return the bust of Nefertiti to Egypt. However, there are concerns that the statue will be at risk if it is returned, as some fear it could be mishandled, as was the case with King Tutankhamun’s mask. There is also concern that the statue may be subject to mishandling, as was the case with King Tutankhamun’s mask.

So far, the German authorities have not announced their intention to return the bust. Stefan Mühler stated: “The Egyptian government does not make any claims for restitution.” It remains to be seen whether the growing public support for the petition will affect Germany’s position on the issue.

Sources: Deutsche Welle, Al Masry Al Youm,

This article was written in collaboration with the generating company Alchemiq