The collection is being exhibited in the citadel's Throne Hall as part of the Syria Summer 2026 festival, which opened on August 6. A separate exhibition of Syrian mosaics is also taking place at the site.

Footage filmed on Sunday shows visitors examining the returned artefacts inside glass display cases and taking photographs. A sign in the exhibition reads: "Syria Recovers Its Antiquities - 23 Artefacts Embrace Syrian Soil Once Again."

"Today, as part of the Damascus Summer 2026 celebrations, we have opened an exhibition featuring Syrian antiquities recovered from France. These artefacts are particularly significant given the events they have been through over the past 16 years," said Ammar Kanawi, Director of Museum Affairs in Syria.

Kanawi said the loan process began in 2010, with the artefacts leaving Syria the following year for the Arab World Institute in Paris.

He said the collection includes objects from several historical periods, including artefacts linked to the ancient kingdoms of Mari and Ugarit, as well as items from the Classical period.

The artefacts remained in France after Syria's war began and diplomatic relations between Paris and Damascus were severed. Syrian officials said security concerns and the need to preserve the collection delayed its return.

Syrian expatriate Khaldoun Taktouk described seeing the collection for the first time during a visit to the Damascus Citadel.

"It's a truly wonderful feeling. These pieces are incredibly captivating and fascinating. I don't know how to describe this feeling - it's something that cannot be put into words."

France returned the 23 artefacts on July 7 during President Emmanuel Macron's July 6–7 visit to Syria. During the visit, Paris and Damascus restored full diplomatic relations and agreed to exchange ambassadors.

Syrian authorities said the collection includes artefacts from major archaeological sites dating from prehistory to the Islamic era.

Among the most striking elements is an owl sculpture at the entrance, a Zapotec symbol linked to night and death, whose beak partially covers a human face believed to represent the tomb’s occupant. Inside, mural paintings rendered in red, blue, green, white and ochre are now being studied by specialists from Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).

President Claudia Sheinbaum described the find as the country’s most significant archaeological discovery in a decade, highlighting its exceptional preservation and the cultural and symbolic information it provides about Zapotec society .

“We jointly celebrate the Grand Egyptian Museum's opening; we write a new chapter in this ancient nation's history,” El-Sisi said in his address. “This stands as the world's largest museum dedicated to one civilisation – Egypt's eternal civilisation whose splendour never fades.”

The president emphasised the role of international collaboration in bringing the decades-long project to fruition, highlighting Japan's significant support.

The Grand Egyptian Museum, located near the Giza Pyramids, is considered the largest cultural structure built in the 21st century. Although first conceived in the 1990s, the foundation stone was laid in 2002 under the supervision of UNESCO.

Designed as one of the most advanced and expansive museum complexes globally, GEM aims to welcome seven million visitors annually in its initial phase, targeting a total of 30 million visitors by 2031.