3,000-Year-Old Gold Bracelet Missing from Egyptian Museum Lab

TDT | Cairo

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Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities has confirmed that a 3,000-year-old gold bracelet has gone missing from a restoration laboratory at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

The artefact, a golden band decorated with spherical lapis lazuli beads, dates back to the reign of Pharaoh Amenemope of the 21st Dynasty (1070–945 BC). The ministry’s statement, issued late Tuesday, did not disclose when the piece was last seen.

Local media reported that the loss was detected during a recent inventory check, though this has not been independently verified. Authorities have launched an internal investigation, and antiquities units at airports, seaports, and border crossings across the country have been placed on alert.

The ministry noted that the case was not immediately made public to allow investigators to proceed without disruption. A comprehensive inventory of the restoration lab’s collection is currently underway.

The Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square is home to over 170,000 artefacts, including the celebrated funerary mask of King Amenemope. The incident comes just weeks before the planned inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum on November 1, a project being heralded as a cultural landmark under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s leadership.

Preparations are already underway to transfer some of the institution’s most prized collections, including treasures from the tomb of Tutankhamun, to the new facility.

The disappearance also recalls Egypt’s recent efforts to showcase its heritage. In 2021, the country staged a grand parade transferring 22 royal mummies, including Ramses II and Queen Hatshepsut, to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization — part of a broader strategy to strengthen Egypt’s museum infrastructure and tourism appeal.