Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities confirmed that a priceless bracelet from the 21st Dynasty (circa 1070–945 BC), once worn by Pharaoh Amenemope, was stolen from the restoration lab of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
The artifact, a simple gold band adorned with a single spherical lapis lazuli bead, vanished on September 9, while staff prepared items for the "Treasures of the Pharaohs" exhibition in Rome.
Investigators revealed that a female museum restoration specialist took the bracelet from a safe in the lab's second-floor conservation area and passed it to an acquaintance who owns a silver shop in Cairo’s Sayyeda Zainab district.
It was sold to a gold workshop owner for around USD 3,700 (180,000 Egyptian pounds), then resold to a goldsmith for USD 4,000 (194,000 Egyptian pounds), who melted it down with scrap metal to craft contemporary jewelry, irrevocably destroying the artifact.
Authorities arrested four suspects, including the restoration specialist, the silver shop owner, the workshop proprietor, and the goldsmith. They recovered video evidence and seized sale proceeds, tracing the bracelet's black-market path.
Prosecutors are pursuing charges under Egypt's Antiquities Protection Law, with potential penalties including heavy fines (up to millions of Egyptian pounds) and lengthy prison terms, possibly life imprisonment for aggravated cultural heritage crimes, though sentencing remains pending.
The theft surfaced during an inventory audit ahead of the “Treasures of the Pharaohs” exhibition, featuring 130 artifacts and set to open October 24 at Rome's Capitoline Museums.
The incident has ignited fury across Egypt, where ancient relics are revered as the soul of the nation; social media exploded with hashtags like #SaveOurHeritage, and archaeologists like Monica Hanna decried it as an "alarm bell" for lax security.
Tourism Minister Sherif Fathy blamed inadequate procedures and absent security cameras in the lab, announcing immediate reforms including enhanced surveillance and staff vetting. The scandal hits hard as Egypt gears up for the Grand Egyptian Museum's (GEM) November 2025 inauguration near the Giza Pyramids, a USD 1 billion showcase meant to supercharge cultural tourism, which accounts for 12 percent of GDP.
Critics fear this could erode trust in Egypt's guardianship of its treasures, echoing past scandals like the 2011 museum looting during the Arab Spring.
Interestingly, the theft has reignited talk of the "curse of the Pharaohs," a legendary belief in Egypt that gold and treasures from royal tombs carry a curse, bringing misfortune or death to those who steal or defile them.