CAIRO, Jan 29 (Aswat Masriya) - Egyptian authorities have recovered a wooden Ushabti figurine that has been dated to the Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, ministry of antiquities said in a statement on Sunday.

Ushabti is a small funerary figure made of wood, clay or stone that was placed in tombs among the grave goods in Ancient Egypt.

Head of the Antiquities Repatriation Department Shaaban Abdel Gawad said in a statement on Sunday that the figurine, which belonged to the period between 2050 BC and 1800 BC, was stolen from Aswan in 2013 and smuggled to London.

He revealed that one of the British museum’s curators found the Ushabti figurine with a British citizen so he informed the Antiquities ministry. The figurine was then handed to the Egyptian embassy in London.

Gawad added that the statuette will be returned to Egypt in the upcoming period.