The theft of the British Museum was a great shock in cultural circles, in light of the disappearance of hundreds of rare artifacts, some of which date back to the fifteenth century BC.
This incident brought to the fore the talk about recovering Egyptian antiquities abroad in light of the collapse of the argument for preserving these antiquities and fears that they might be stolen if this incident was repeated, especially since the museum had received warnings since 2021 that there were suspicions about smuggling pieces of it without receiving those warnings. adequate response.
Sherif Shaaban, an archaeological official at the Central Department of Information and Digital Transformation at the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and a lecturer at the Faculty of Archeology at Cairo University, explains that the theft of Egyptian antiquities and illegal possession of them in international museums is one of the most important problems affecting the antiquities sector in Egypt.
Shaaban added to “Sky News Arabia” that until the end of the last century, Egyptian pieces were released without supervision in light of a colonial struggle to control Egyptian antiquities, especially by the British Museum, which includes many Egyptian antiquities that do not receive sufficient attention, pointing to a sarcastic phrase. It is said about the British Museum that it does not contain any British artifacts.
Shaaban stressed that talking about securing Egyptian antiquities in international museums is a matter that needs to be reviewed. The head of Nefertiti in the Berlin Museum was insulted more than once, despite the Egyptian government’s demand for the return of the head to its motherland, Egypt, after it was stolen by the German Burckhardt in 1912.
The researcher and expert in Egyptian antiquities emphasized that:
Possession of Egyptian antiquities inside international museums is immoral before it is illegal. Western allegations that Egyptian antiquities are subject to protection in its museums have become flimsy, and the theft of the British Museum is clear evidence of this. Egypt has a series of international museums at the highest level, such as the Museum of Civilization in Fustat and the Grand Museum, and it is still working to ensure the presence of a museum in every governorate. Incidents of theft of antiquities inside the British Museum give Egypt every right to demand the return of its smuggled antiquities, whether in the British Museum or elsewhere, especially in light of Egypt’s full ability to protect them.
As for the most prominent Egyptian antiquities in the British Museum, Sherif Shaaban confirms that they are:
The Rosetta Stone, through which we were able to decipher the ancient Egyptian language. Famous bust of King Ramses II. Some of the stones of the Great Pyramid. Mummies from the pre-dynastic era. Part of the Sphinx’s beard. Colossal statue of King Amenhotep III.
It is noteworthy that Hartwig Fisher, director of the British Museum in London, has resigned due to theft and loss, as well as damage to some pieces from the museum’s collection, acknowledging that the institution did not respond comprehensively when it was warned of thefts in 2021.
British art historian and dealer Itay Gradel had warned museum bosses that he suspected antiquities had been smuggled out of the museum, but they assured him there was nothing amiss.
Investigators in the United Kingdom are racing against time to recover the stolen pieces from the British Museum, which include gold jewelry and precious stones dating back to 1500 BC, which now makes it more than 3,000 years old, in work that the authorities suspect is internal.
The British newspaper, The Telegraph, reported that the theft took place at least in 2019, when the museum was closed to the public for 163 days during the Corona epidemic.
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2023-08-26 18:13:20
