Egypt Hunts Missing 3,000-Year-Old Pharaoh's Gold Bracelet
Egyptian authorities have launched a search for a 3,000-year-old gold bracelet that vanished from the Egyptian Museum's restoration laboratory in Cairo.
The rare piece, decorated with lapis lazuli beads, dated back to the reign of King Amenemope of the 21st Dynasty (993-984 BC). It was last seen in the museum's restoration lab, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The antiquities ministry said the case had been referred to police, with the bracelet's image circulated to all airports, seaports, and border crossings to prevent smuggling.
A specialist committee was also formed to review artefacts at the lab. Local media reported the disappearance was discovered as staff prepared items for an exhibition in Rome. The incident occurred just weeks before the Grand Egyptian Museum opened in Giza, raising security concerns.
InFocus
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The tomb of King Tutankhamun was discovered in November 1922 by Howard Carter, but several members of the excavation team, including Carter's backer Lord Carnarvon, died mysteriously soon after. Legends of the "pharaoh's curse" were born from these deaths, which were long regarded as supernatural but later linked to a toxic fungus called Aspergillus flavus.
The mold, common in soil and ancient
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The recovery was secured by the Egyptian embassy in Paris, with the co-operation of French authorities, after stopping an illegal sale.
This marks Egypt's third successful artifact repatriation in May, after recovering 25 items from the U.S. and 20 from Australia through diplomatic efforts.
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The recovered collection includes stone and wooden coffin lids, funerary masks made of pottery and gilded wood, a large alabaster vessel, and a portrait of a woman from the city of Fayum, reflecting the mastery of realistic portraiture during the Greco-Roman era.
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Mask of King Amenemope.
