Egyptian authorities are searching for a 3,000-year-old gold bracelet reported missing from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said, and have referred the case to police while circulating an image of the piece to ports and border crossings to guard against smuggling.
The gold band is described by the ministry as a rare piece set with spherical lapis lazuli beads dating to the reign of King Amenemope of the 21st Dynasty, who ruled from about 993 to 984 B.C. The ministry said it had taken immediate measures after the bracelet disappeared from the museum’s restoration laboratory and had formed a specialist committee to carry out an inventory and review of all artefacts being held in the laboratory.
An image of the bracelet has been circulated to all Egyptian airports, seaports and land border crossings as a "precautionary step to prevent smuggling attempts," the ministry said. Officials did not specify when the piece was last seen; the ministry said it had delayed announcing the disappearance "to ensure an appropriate environment for the progress of investigations."
Egyptian newspaper Al-Misri al-Yawm reported that the disappearance was detected in recent days as museum staff were preparing to ship dozens of artefacts to Rome for an exhibition due to open next month. The Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, the oldest archaeological museum in the Middle East, houses more than 170,000 items, including the gilded wooden funerary mask of Amenemope, which remains on display.
The bracelet’s disappearance comes roughly six weeks before the scheduled opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum in nearby Giza, where treasures from the tomb of Tutankhamun have been transferred and will be shown to the public. The ministry said the referral to police and the committee review are intended to provide a full accounting of items in the restoration laboratory and to strengthen safeguards ahead of the transfer of artefacts for exhibitions.
Investigations are continuing and authorities said they will provide further information as inquiries progress. The ministry has not suggested any suspects or given a timetable for completing the inventory and review.
The case highlights ongoing concerns about the security and management of ancient artefacts in Egypt’s museums as the country prepares high-profile international loans and the long-delayed opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, which is expected to reshape the display and conservation of the nation’s archaeological heritage.