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SDRPY Funds Sayun Palace Restoration to Safeguard Yemen's Heritage

SDRPY works to preserve heritage and restore historic buildings - SPA
SDRPY works to preserve heritage and restore historic buildings - SPA
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SDRPY Funds Sayun Palace Restoration to Safeguard Yemen's Heritage

SDRPY works to preserve heritage and restore historic buildings - SPA
SDRPY works to preserve heritage and restore historic buildings - SPA

The Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY) has funded the restoration of Sayun Palace, a historic landmark in Hadhramaut.

Over 500 years old, this monumental mud-brick palace is one of the largest of its kind in the world, featuring seven floors and 45 rooms, SPA reported.
The restoration project was carried out by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in collaboration with the Saudi Ministry of Culture and Yemen's General Organization of Antiquities and Museums, with logistical and technical support from Yemen's Social Fund for Development.

It underscores Saudi Arabia's pioneering role in preserving the history and heritage of Arab and Islamic countries and its commitment to safeguarding Yemen's tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
SDRPY works to preserve heritage and restore historic buildings. It leads strategic initiatives that foster sustainable development, drive growth, and create positive economic impacts in Yemen.
In partnership with the Yemeni Ministry of Culture and the King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives (Darah), SDRPY supports the preservation of Yemeni heritage by digitizing documents and manuscripts at Al-Ahqaf Library in Tarim, Hadhramaut. It also focuses on building local capacity to protect these invaluable historical records.

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Egypt Says Retrieves 25 Smuggled Artifacts From US

A handout picture released by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs shows Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty looking at a collection of artifacts, illegally smuggled out of Egypt, after they were returned at the ministry headquarters in Cairo on May 12, 2025. (Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs / AFP / Handout)
A handout picture released by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs shows Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty looking at a collection of artifacts, illegally smuggled out of Egypt, after they were returned at the ministry headquarters in Cairo on May 12, 2025. (Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs / AFP / Handout)
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Egypt Says Retrieves 25 Smuggled Artifacts From US

A handout picture released by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs shows Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty looking at a collection of artifacts, illegally smuggled out of Egypt, after they were returned at the ministry headquarters in Cairo on May 12, 2025. (Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs / AFP / Handout)
A handout picture released by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs shows Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty looking at a collection of artifacts, illegally smuggled out of Egypt, after they were returned at the ministry headquarters in Cairo on May 12, 2025. (Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs / AFP / Handout)

Sarcophagus lids, a Greco-Roman portrait and fragments of what is believed to be a temple of Queen Hatshepsut were among 25 rare artifacts returned to Egypt from the United States, the Egyptian antiquities ministry said Monday.

The pieces -- spanning centuries of Egyptian civilization -- were handed over following a three-year recovery effort by Egypt's consulate in New York, the New York District Attorney's Office and US security agencies, the ministry said in a statement.

The collection includes wooden and gilded sarcophagus lids dating back more than 5,500 years, parts of a temple believed to belong to Queen Hatshepsut and a Greco-Roman mummy portrait from Fayyoum -- a southern city renowned for its distinctive Greco-Roman art.

The trove also features intricately crafted jewellery from around 2,400 years ago, a granite foot fragment dating back to the Ramessid dynasty, during the peak of Egypt's power, as well as small ivory and stone figurines.

A rare gold coin dating back over two millennia to the reign of Ptolemy I -- one of Alexander the Great's generals and founder of ancient Egypt's last royal dynasty -- is also part of the collection.

The antiquities were seized in separate investigations beginning in 2022 and were held at Egypt's consulate in New York until their return to Cairo on Sunday, according to the ministry's statement.

Officials did not reveal exactly how the artifacts left Egypt or how they surfaced in the US.

Egyptian authorities say they have succeeded in bringing home nearly 30,000 artifacts over the past decade.