Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities on Sunday received a sandstone artifact that represents part of a column of King Thutmose IV Hall at the Karnak Temple.

The artifact had previously been smuggled out of the country to London.

It was in the possession of a private collector in London, who voluntarily agreed to hand over the piece after he was informed that it was a genuine fragment from an Ancient Egyptian temple.

The smuggled artifact depicted the ancient Egyptian god Amoun-Ra and believed to date back to the reign of the Eighteenth Dynasty Pharaoh Thutmose IV.

For his part, Antiquities Minister Mahmdouh El Damaty said the ministry is doing its best to preserve the country's historical and cultural legacy on both the legal and diplomatic fronts to restore all smuggled artifacts.