World

Stolen golden coffin makes return from New York to Cairo

Dating back to the Ptolemaic period, the coffin was designed for a high priest named Nedjemankh

Afp October 01, 2019

egypt 039 s antiquities minister khaled el enany l and charg d 039 affaires at the u s embassy in cairo thomas goldberger look at the golden coffin of nedjemankh on display at the national museum of egyptian civilization in cairo on october 1 2019 following its repatriation from the us photo afp

Egypt's Antiquities Minister Khaled El-Enany (L) and Chargé d'Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo Thomas Goldberger look at the Golden Coffin of Nedjemankh, on display at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo on October 1, 2019, following its repatriation from the US. PHOTO: AFP

CAIRO: Looted amidst the tumult of Egypt's 2011 revolution, the golden coffin of priest Nedjemankh was unveiled on Tuesday in Cairo after its return from New York.

Standing at 1.8 metres (six foot), the fine gilded sarcophagus has gained notoriety, apart from for its historical value, for its role at the centre of an international trafficking ring.

Dating back to the Ptolemaic period (1st-2nd century BC), the ornate wooden coffin was designed for Nedjemankh, a high priest of the ram-headed god Heryshef.

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The shimmering artifact adorned with gesso reliefs had been housed since 2017 in New York's Metropolitan Museum, which purchased it from a Paris art dealer for around 3.5 million euros ($3.8 million).

But in February, a Met exhibition which named the high priest had to shut down after being informed the sarcophagus had been plundered by a multi-national trafficking ring.

It had been smuggled out of Minya in southern Egypt in 2011, the year that long-time autocrat Hosni Mubarak was toppled in a popular revolt.

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It had then made its way to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Germany before landing up in France.

"I am very happy to have this piece back again in Egypt... We will know all the details about the theft later," Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, told reporters at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation unveiling.

Egypt has sought to promote its archaeological heritage in a bid to revive its vital tourism sector, which took a battering from political turmoil after the revolution.