Campaign to recover stolen Egyptian artifacts

Israel has returned a collection of stolen antiquities in Egypt after being found on sale at a auction hall in Jerusalem.

The Department of Antiquities said the collection contains 90 ancient Egyptian artifacts, including clay pots , vases , figurines and stelae Ushabti .

Minister of Antiquities Mohamed Ibrahim told Ahram Online on Saturday in the auction room was exhibited 110 objects, but only 90 were recovered by the Israeli authorities. The other 20 were sold .

 The minister said Egypt had asked the Israeli authorities to take legal proceedings against the auctioneers and trace objects sold. They are ready to do so, he added .

Ali Ahmed, Director General of the Department of Antiquities Repatriation Ministry , said the objects were first noticed during a routine internet search of international auction rooms .

The recovery process began in September when Ibrahim sent an urgent letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ask them to act in cooperation with the Egyptian embassy to Jerusalem to stop the sale of 110 items to the auction room auction Eweda Jerusalem.

Israeli authorities discovered the items were stolen and were illegally smuggled from Egypt when the owner of the room auction was unable to prove his ownership of objects.

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Egyptian police prevented a British man and his wife of 19 items smuggled out of the country , an official said on Sunday antiques AFP.

The couple was arrested at the airport in south Luxor with an assortment of relics including figurines and pots dating back several times, said Hassan Rasmi , which monitors the movement of antiquities in the country.

The police returned the woman in pursuit after breaking three relics.

Egypt has a rich heritage Pharaonic, Greco -Roman and Islamic antiquities are often the prey of thieves and smugglers.

Former head of the country's artifacts Zahi Hawass said that more than 5,000 relics were returned to the country since 2002.

Security in the country has deteriorated since the uprising last year when several pieces have disappeared from the Egyptian Museum .

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For centuries, Egyptian artifacts looted the country, but the authorities are demanding key returned.

Minister of Antiquities Mohamed Ibrahim has received a copy of the message the Egyptian ambassador to the United States sent the " ebay " site to stop the sale of ancient Egyptian objects advertised on the site.

JERUSALEM : The Israel Antiquities Authority said inspectors seized two Egyptian sarcophagus covers stolen in a bazaar of the old city of Jerusalem.

The two wooden lids covered with plaster were sawed in two , causing irreparable damage . The covers were adorned with decorations and ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.

The authority said a date between the 16th and the 14th century BC and one for between 10 and 8th centuries BC

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The authority said that the thieves were probably plundered Egyptian tombs and blankets smuggled to Dubai . From there, the lids made ​​to Israel through Europe.

We do not know when the items were stolen. The authority says Israel examines how the covers back in Egypt.

The Ambassador showed the Minister the measures taken by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to stop the auction made ​​by U.S. site " ebay " to sell monuments representing different ancient Egyptian times.

The ambassador added that he had sent a message to address the executive director of site " ebay " on behalf of the Egyptian government to stop selling monuments.

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Minister of Antiquities asked the Foreign Ministry to stop the sale of 165 artifacts Egyptian objects Bonhams Auctioneers in London on October 22 until they have documents to prove the items were out of Egypt legally.

The Foreign Ministry warned the auction room that objects can be stolen and sent the catalog room auction list items for sale to the British police , who confirmed that Egypt has right to repatriate the objects in the future if it turns out they were stolen.