Egypt has recovered the head of a statue of King Ramses II dating back more than 3,400 years after it was stolen and smuggled out of the country more than three decades ago.

According to the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, upon receipt of this piece, it was deposited in the stores of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo in preparation for carrying out the necessary maintenance and restoration work before displaying it.

The head of the statue was stolen from the Temple of Ramses II in the ancient city of Abydos in southern Egypt more than three decades ago. The exact date of the theft is not known, but estimates indicate that the piece was stolen in the late eighties or early nineties.

The ministry added that the Egyptian authorities spotted the artifact while it was being offered for sale in a showroom in the British capital, London, in 2013, and then it moved between several countries until it reached Switzerland.

This head is part of a group statue depicting King Ramses II sitting next to a number of Egyptian gods. Egypt, in cooperation with the Swiss authorities, succeeded in proving Egypt’s right to this piece and that it left Egypt illegally.