Cairo Museum Saleroom. Showcase on the first floor of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, probably 1913. Università degli Studi di Milano, Eg. Arch. & Lib., Varille Collection. Plate 23, Piacentini. “When the Museum moved to Midan Ismailya — now Tahrir, in the first years of the Twentieth century, the Sale Room was located in room 56 of the ground floor, accessible from the western entrance… (pls xvii-xviii). Id. at 116. The U.S. Department of State Cultural Property Advisory Committee (CPAC) has announced that CPAC will meet March 3–5, 2026 to review proposed extensions (renewals) of the cultural property agreements (MOUs) with Greece, Egypt, and Bolivia.
Public open session (virtual): Members of the public may observe (and pre-registered participants may provide oral comments) during the virtual open session on March 3, 2026, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EST.
Tourism infrastructure development of gigantic proportions within the St. Catherine Area, World Heritage Watch Report, Egypt. Photo: Anonymous, 2024.
How to request to speak (oral comments): To register to speak at the open session, send an email to culprop@state.gov with your name and organizational affiliation, and include any request for reasonable accommodation, no later than February 20, 2026.
How to submit written comments: CPAC will consider written comments received by 11:59 p.m. EST on February 20, 2026. General (non-confidential) comments must be submitted at Regulations.gov under docket DOS–2026–0133. Comments containing privileged or confidential information (as described in 19 U.S.C. 2605(i)(1)) must be emailed, with “Bolivia,” “Egypt,” and/or “Greece” in the subject line.
Country-specific points of contact: The Department’s Federal Register notices list the following contacts for the proposed extensions—Greece: Andrew Zonderman; Egypt: Virginia Herrmann; Bolivia: Idabelle Paterson (all via the Cultural Heritage Center).
Current import restrictions in effect – summary of covered date ranges and main material types:
Site of the excavation of Heliopolis, 2015. The German expedition, upon their return after a year, found their excavation partly covered by a garbage dump, requiring them to start each morning by shoveling the trash out of the excavation.
Greece (current restrictions in effect through Nov. 21, 2026): The designated list covers archaeological material dated approximately from the 3rd millennium B.C. to the 15th century A.D., and ecclesiastical ethnological material from the Early Christian, Byzantine, and post-Byzantine periods, including objects made from A.D. 324 through 1830. Main categories include stone, metal, ceramic, bone/ivory/wood/other organics, glass/faience, textile, papyrus documents, paintings, and mosaics (for archaeology), plus comparable categories for ecclesiastical ethnological material.
Egypt (current restrictions in effect through Nov. 30, 2026): The designated list covers archaeological material dated approximately 300,000 B.C. to A.D. 1750, and ethnological material dated A.D. 1517 to 1914. Main categories include (archaeological) stone, metal, ceramic/clay, wood, faience/glass, ivory/bone/shell, plaster/cartonnage, textiles/basketry/rope, leather/parchment, papyrus, paintings/drawings, mosaics, writing, and human/animal remains; and (ethnological) categories such as stone, metal, ceramic/clay, wood, bone/ivory/shell, glass/semi-precious stone, leather/parchment/paper, and textiles.
After forcing entry to a Cairo Jewish cemetery, Egyptian Antiquities Authority Authority piles bags filled with the contents of the Geniza onto a truck. Roi Kaisos, VIN News.
Bolivia (current restrictions in effect through Dec. 4, 2026): The restricted archaeological materials represent pre-Columbian cultures and range in date from approximately 10,000 B.C. to A.D. 1532; the restricted ethnological materials are from the Colonial and Republican periods and range from A.D. 1533 to 1900. Main types include archaeological objects including textiles, featherwork, ceramics, metals, and lithics (stone), plus perishable remains (e.g., bone, human remains, wood, basketry); and ethnological objects of indigenous manufacture and ritual/sumptuary/funerary use (including masks, musical instruments, textiles, featherwork, ceramics), plus objects used for rituals and religious ceremonies, including Colonial religious art (paintings and sculpture).
Links, docket, and submission addresses:
Public open-session info + how to observe online: https://www.state.gov/cultural-property-advisory-committee-meeting-march-3-5-2026/
Written comments (general/non-confidential):
- https://www.regulations.gov
- Docket: DOS-2026-0133
- Deadline: February 20, 2026, 11:59 p.m. EST
Written comments (privileged/confidential, per 19 U.S.C. 2605(i)(1)):
- Email: culprop@state.gov
- Subject line: “Bolivia” and/or “Egypt” and/or “Greece”
- Deadline: February 20, 2026, 11:59 p.m. EST
Requests to speak (oral comments registration) and general questions:
- Email: culprop@state.gov
- Phone (Cultural Heritage Center / CPAC): (771) 204-6071
- Deadline to request to speak: February 20, 2026
