The British Museum has announced a landmark agreement to return a set of 19th-century Gondarine liturgical crowns to Ethiopia. These ornate gold and silver crowns, used during the Meskel festival and other sacred ceremonies in the Gondar region, were taken by British forces following the Battle of Magdala in 1868. The decision follows intense diplomatic negotiations and a formal request from the Ethiopian Heritage Authority.
Unlike previous temporary loans, this agreement constitutes a permanent restitution of the items to the National Library and Archive of Ethiopia. The crowns are considered vital spiritual relics of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, and their return is seen as a major milestone in the restitution of the Magdala treasures.