Ministry prevents sale of Egyptian antiquities in London
The Ministry of Antiquities prevented the sale of 36 Egyptian relics at Bonhams, a privately owned British auction house in London.
Minister Mamdouh al-Damaty confirmed on Sunday that the antiquities are ancient Egyptian, excavated from tomb number 124 in the Harga district of Fayoum.
The pieces were illegally smuggled out of Egypt, according to Damaty, who added that the ministry is considering how to prevent the selling of antiques by museums and institutes of education.
According to state-owned EgyNews, Aly Ahmed, head of the reclaimed Antiquities Administration, said almost all the pieces were saved by the combined efforts of the Egyptian Embassy in London, Egypt’s ambassador at UNESCO — Mohamed Sameh Amr, and the Egyptian Embassy in Washington. Ahmed explained that the Metropolitan Museum in London bought 36 of the 37 stolen pieces to exhibit, while the auction house sold one.
In July, London’s Northampton Museum sold an ancient Egyptian statue of King “Sekhm Ka.” The sale raised more than £6 million for the museum, which British media reported would be used on restoration efforts.
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