CAIRO. On September 8, renowned Egyptian archaeologist and former antiquities minister Zahi Hawass called for the return of the iconic bust of Queen Nefertiti from the Neues Museum in Berlin to Egypt. Hawass, known for his passionate advocacy for the repatriation of Egyptian artifacts, launched a public petition aiming to bring the 3,300-year-old treasure back to its homeland.
The bust, a stunning limestone piece painted to depict the legendary beauty of Queen Nefertiti, was discovered in 1912 by a German archaeological team at Tell el-Amarna, about 300 kilometers (185 miles) south of Cairo. The following year, it was transported to Berlin, where it has remained ever since.
Tell el-Amarna served as the short-lived capital of Nefertiti’s husband, Pharaoh Akhenaten of Egypt’s 18th dynasty. Akhenaten, often referred to as the “heretic king,” dramatically shifted the country’s religious practices by promoting the worship of Aten, the sun god, to the exclusion of all other deities. This period of Akhenaten’s reign also saw significant transformations in Egyptian art.
Hawass, in his petition launched on Saturday, argued that the bust of Nefertiti was taken out of Egypt illegally after its discovery. “We announce today that Egypt—this is the national committee, not a government committee—asks for the return of the bust of Nefertiti,” he declared.
He urged supporters to visit his website (hawasszahi.com) and sign the petition, emphasizing, “What I need from everyone here is to go to my website… and you will sign, one signature, to show that you would love for this bust to come back.”
While Hawass acknowledged that some Egyptian artifacts were legally removed from the country, he focused his efforts on reclaiming what he refers to as “three main beautiful objects”—the bust of Nefertiti, the Rosetta Stone, and the Dendera Zodiac.
The ongoing campaign reflects Egypt’s broader efforts to recover cultural heritage items taken during colonial periods, with Nefertiti’s bust being one of the most significant symbols of that struggle.
Paraluman P. Funtanilla
Paraluman P. Funtanilla is Tutubi News Magazine's Marketing Specialist and is a Contributing Editor. She finished her degree in Communication Arts in De La Salle Lipa. She has worked as a Digital Marketer for start-up businesses and small business spaces for the past two years. She has earned certificates from Coursera on Brand Management: Aligning Business Brand and Behavior and Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content. She also worked with Asia Express Romania TV Show.
