CAIRO — Egypt's interior ministry says a 3,000-year-old gold bracelet disappeared from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, was stolen and melted down. A restoration specialist removed the artefact from a safe in the museum's restoration laboratory nine days ago, according to the ministry. The bracelet dates to the reign of King Amenemope, who ruled around 1000 BCE.
According to the ministry, the woman who took the bracelet contacted a silver jeweller she knew, who sold the artefact to a gold jeweller for $3,735. He then sold it for $4,025 to a gold foundry worker, who melted it down with other jewellery, the ministry said. The four individuals confessed to their crimes after being arrested, and the money was seized. Legal action will be taken.
On Tuesday, Egypt's tourism and antiquities ministry announced immediate measures after the disappearance and said the case had been referred to police. An image of the bracelet was circulated to all Egyptian airports, seaports and land border crossings as a precaution to prevent it from being smuggled out of the country.
Local media reported that the disappearance was detected as museum staff were preparing to ship dozens of artefacts to Rome for an exhibition. The Egyptian Museum in Cairo is the oldest archaeological museum in the Middle East and houses more than 170,000 artefacts, including Amenemope's gilded wooden funerary mask. The bracelet's theft comes weeks before the Grand Egyptian Museum in nearby Giza opens, where the famed treasures of King Tutankhamun's tomb have been transferred.
The case underscores ongoing concerns about safeguarding cultural treasures as Egypt advances preparations for the Grand Egyptian Museum's opening. Officials say the findings and arrests reflect a coordinated effort by law enforcement and cultural authorities to deter looting and ensure that treasures remain within the country. The authorities have pledged to continue investigations and to pursue all legal avenues against those involved.