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Luxor Times: 24 May 2014

Luxor Times

Saturday, 24 May 2014

Tracked Ancient Egyptian antiquities after illicit digs and smuggled abroad



Ministry of Antiquities managed to track 5 ancient Egyptian relics were smuggled from Egypt.
The antiquities were a result of illicit digs in south Sakkara at the site of Tabit Al Geish (Tabit Al Geyoush) in 2002.

The minister said "Studying the objects we found that they are parts of the left corner and the entrance of the tomb of "Haw Nefer" who was a priest of the time of Pepi I of 6th Dynasty (Old Kingdom). The tomb was discovered by the French mission of IFAO on Sakkara in 2001."

The minister referred to the cooperation with IFAO to confirm that the antiquities were a result of illicit dig after the first season of excavation for the mission them were smuggled abroad.
 The ministry found 3 of the 5 objects were bought by the museum of fine arts in the Hungarian capital, Budapest from an auction house which the auction house claimed they received in 1974.
The auction house claim is contracting the fact that there were no digs or excavation work in the site before year 2000 till the French mission started an organised excavation in 2001.

The other two objects were found at an auction house in France.

Ali Ahmed, director of Repatriated Antiquities department, said "The 5 objects are a part of Priest “Hau-Nefer” tomb entrance. The ministry took the legal procedures to return the Egyptian antiquities."

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