The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has initiated an investigation into the disappearance of a rare gold, ancient Egyptian bracelet from the restoration laboratory of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo (Tahrir), on Tuesday 16 September.
The artefact, a solid gold piece adorned with lapis lazuli bead (a bright blue stone used for jewelry and decoration hailing from Afghanistan), is believed to have belonged to King Amenemope from the Third Intermediate Period.
The ministry notified the Public Prosecution and referred the matter to law enforcement.
A specialized committee has been established to conduct a comprehensive inventory of all artefacts within the restoration lab. According to Ahram News, the bracelet disappeared while staff were preparing artefacts for an upcoming exhibition in Italy.
To prevent potential smuggling, images of the bracelet have been circulated to all border crossings, airports, and ports across the country, as per the ministry’s statement.
The museum’s director general, Ali Abdelhalim Ali, has clarified that circulating photos on social media and news sites do not depict the missing artefact; rather, they show similar bracelets that are currently on public display in the museum’s second-floor galleries.
Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, also reiterated that the missing bracelet is entirely different from those being showcased.
He also acknowledged that the ministry opted to delay the public announcement of the incident to Tuesday 16 September to ensure the integrity of the ongoing investigation.
As part of the inquiry, individuals who had access to the artefact have been questioned, and their phones have been confiscated for further examination.
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