Eight priceless pieces were stolen from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, according to the head of Egyptian antiquities, Zahi Hawass . The thefts were discovered during an inventory conducted by the museum staff after strangers managed to enter the building this past January 28 on the sidelines of an anti-government revolution.
Among the stolen items included “a wooden statue covered with gold of the king of the XVIII dynasty, Tutankhamun worn by a goddess ” and portions of another statue of the pharaoh, “said the Secretary of State for Antiquities.
A limestone statue of Akhenaten carrying a tray of offerings, another of Nefertiti in the process of making offerings and the head of a sandstone Princess from Amarna, the ancient capital of Akhenaten, were also stolen. The statue of a scribe of Amarna, eleven funerary statuettes of Yuya, a powerful member of the XVIII dynasty, and finally an amulet and a scarab belonging to Yuya have also disappeared.
The Egyptian Museum contains priceless antique pieces, including the funerary treasure of Tutankhamen and many royal mummies. Approximately 100 000 pieces are exhibited in its hundred rooms, and 50,000 others are hidden away. During the events that changed the face of the country in recent weeks, the Egyptian Museum had already been hit, two mummies of the Pharaonic era were heavily damaged during an attempted robbery.
The protesters stopped the thieves, in collaboration with security forces. Hundreds of people then formed a human chain around the gates of the imposing pink building to prevent any further incursions. An investigation was initiated to find both the perpetrators of theft and the pieces missing, Hawass said, adding that the army had “managed to arrest some criminals as they tried to flee on January 28″ , when several windows were broken in the Museum by looters.