A frantic search is underway for a priceless gold bracelet, an artifact over 3,000 years old. This ancient treasure recently vanished from the Egyptian Museum in the heart of Cairo. Authorities fear it might have already been smuggled out of the country.
The missing bracelet is truly one of a kind. It’s made of pure gold and dotted with round lapis lazuli beads. Experts trace its age back to the 21st Dynasty, during the rule of Pharaoh Amenemope. He sat on the throne between 993 and 984 BC, making this piece a direct link to a distant past.
The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities confirmed the disappearance. They said the gold bracelet went missing from a restoration lab inside the museum. Officials acted swiftly, immediately launching an investigation with the police.
To stop the artifact from leaving the country, images of the bracelet have been sent to all airports, seaports, and border checkpoints. Meanwhile, a special team of experts is now checking and counting every item stored in the restoration room. This audit will help ensure nothing else has gone missing.
The Ministry explained that they purposely held back the news of the bracelet’s disappearance. They wanted to give investigators a better chance to work without alerting potential smugglers. However, they did not say exactly when the bracelet was first noticed as gone.
According to the newspaper Al-Misri al-Yawm, the absence was discovered just days ago. Museum staff were preparing dozens of ancient items for an exhibition in Rome next month when they noticed the piece was gone.
The Egyptian Museum in Cairo is a grand place, holding more than 170,000 ancient objects. It’s the oldest archaeological museum in the Middle East. Among its many treasures is the gilded mummy mask of Pharaoh Amenemope himself. The loss of this bracelet comes just six weeks before the new Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza is set to open. This huge new museum will display the famous treasures from Tutankhamun’s tomb.
Source: BBC