• Artists
    • Music
  • Blog
  • Reviews
  • Videos
  • Shop
  • Contact

Egypt can demand return of King Tut statue up for auction: Former antiquities chief

June 10, 2019 Uncategorized

Egypt has the right to demand the repatriation of a stone sculpture of King Tutankhamun before it goes up for auction at Christie’s in London next month, according to the country’s former antiquities chief.

Interested in Egypt?

Add Egypt as an interest to stay up to date on the latest Egypt news, video, and analysis from ABC News.

Zahi Hawass, a renowned Egyptian archaeologist, has spearheaded numerous campaigns to repatriate Egyptian artifacts, and alleges the statue was stolen.

“It seems that this sculpture was looted from [Luxor’s] Karnak Temple. Christie’s would not have any proof whatsoever of its ownership,” Hawass told ABC News.

Christie’s did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment.

A 3,000-year-old bust of the famous boy king, who ruled Egypt from 1332–1323 B.C., is scheduled to be sold on July 4.

The quartzite statue, which portrays the boy king as Amun, the ancient Egyptian god of the sun and air, could generate at least 4 million pounds (more than $5 million), according to the auction house. Christie’s is in contact with Egyptian authorities over the sale, the Financial Times reported.

The Egyptian Ministry of State Antiquities has launched an investigation into the planned sale to take “the required legal measures in coordination with the foreign ministry,” Shaaban Abdel-Gawad, head of the repatriation department, said in a statement last week.

“If it’s proven that any piece has been illegally moved out of the country, we will take a legal action with the Interpol,” he wrote. “We will never allow anyone to sell any ancient Egyptian artifact.”

PHOTO: In this Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015, file photo, tourists look at the tomb of King Tut as it is displayed in a glass case at the Valley of the Kings in Luxor.AP Photo/Amr Nabil

In this Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015, file photo, tourists look at the tomb of King Tut as it is displayed in a glass case at the Valley of the Kings in Luxor.

The statue is expected to be sold by a private collector, and is part of what is known as the Resandro Collection, according to the Financial Times.

Egypt introduced a law in 1983 to regulate the ownership of Egyptian antiquities, saying any ancient artifacts discovered in the country are considered state properties “with the exception of antiquities whose ownership or possession was already established at the time this law came into effect.”

Hawass believes that regardless of any laws, Egypt has an “ethical right” to recover the Tutankhamun bust.

“This piece was smuggled out of the country and Christie’s cannot prove otherwise. It’s totally Egypt’s right,” he said.

To mark the centenary of Tutankhamun’s tomb discovery, Egypt embarked on a world tour of 150 King Tut artifacts earlier this year, which includes 60 pieces that have never left the country.

The exhibition kicked off in Paris in March and will move to locations around the world including London, California and Sydney until 2021.

A museum to house those artifacts and many others, the Grand Egyptian Museum, located near the Giza Pyramids, is currently under construction.

Back

One thought on “Egypt can demand return of King Tut statue up for auction: Former antiquities chief”

  1. Roscoe says:
    August 26, 2019 at 10:02 pm

    It’s fantastic that you are getting thoughts from this article as well as from our argument made here.

    Maglietta Lazio

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

  • The inequities of PPP: Megachurches, large corporations receive money ahead of small businesses
  • Newborn giraffe dies when mother accidentally steps on its neck after giving birth
  • Capitol rioter who allegedly posted Outside Pelosis office to Instagram arrested
  • Russia extends Navalnys detention as outcry over his arrest grows
  • Poisoned Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny detained upon arrival in Moscow

Recent Comments

  • Roscoe on Egypt can demand return of King Tut statue up for auction: Former antiquities chief
  • sugavibes.com on Construction fences going up around White House for a long planned-renovation project

Archives

  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018

Categories

  • Fresh News
  • Uncategorized

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries RSS
  • Comments RSS
  • WordPress.org

Newsletter

Grab our Monthly Newsletter and stay tuned

We are social

 
 
 
sugavibes-entertainment-nigerian-music-site

2019 © Copyright @ SugaVibes Entertainment
Site Design by 
KennethBen.com