Authorities in Egypt are currently investigating the disappearance of a rare 3,000-year-old gold bracelet from a prominent museum in Cairo. This ancient artifact, embellished with spherical lapis lazuli beads, is believed to date back to the reign of King Amenemope, a pharaoh who ruled during the 21st Dynasty from 993 to 984 BC.
The Ministry of Antiquities has announced that swift action has been taken following the bracelet’s disappearance from the Egyptian Museum’s restoration laboratory. The case has since been handed over to the police for further investigation. To prevent any potential smuggling attempts, authorities have circulated images of the bracelet across all Egyptian airports, seaports, and land border crossings as a precaution.
In light of this incident, a specialized committee has been established to conduct a thorough inventory and review of all artifacts currently housed in the restoration laboratory. The ministry has stated that it opted to delay the announcement of the bracelet’s disappearance to create an appropriate environment conducive to the investigation. However, officials did not specify when the bracelet was last accounted for.
According to the Egyptian newspaper Al-Misri al-Yawm, the disappearance was uncovered in recent days while museum staff were preparing to send a collection of artifacts to Rome for an upcoming exhibition set to open next month.
The Egyptian Museum, known as the oldest archaeological museum in the Middle East, hosts over 170,000 artifacts, including the gilded wooden funerary mask of Amenemope. This incident raises concerns, particularly as it occurs just six weeks before the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, where the renowned treasures of King Tutankhamun are scheduled to be showcased.
Investigators are fervently pursuing leads to recover the treasured bracelet, which holds significant historical value, and to uphold the integrity of Egypt’s rich cultural heritage.
