Memory of the day: Egypt retrieves Queen Nefertari’s head statue in 2001

CAIRO – 28 July 2021: On this day, July 28, 2001, Egypt retrieved the head statue of Nefertari, the wife of Pharaoh Ramses II, and six stolen papyrus scrolls after they were smuggled to Britain during the nineties from a warehouse in Saqqara, south of Cairo.

The statue dates back to 1300 BC.

The 20th century witnessed the most important ancient Egyptian archaeological discoveries, which caused a sensation in various countries of the world. 

The Valley of the Queens in ancient Egypt bore several names such as "The Great Valley", "The Southern Valley" and “T st nfrw” which means the place of beauty. 

It was initially established as a necropolis dedicated to burying the women of the royal class of ancient Egypt at the beginning of the New Kingdom, on the western shore of the Nile, facing the city east of Thebes [currently Luxor]. 

Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Antiquities Museum Hussein Abdel Bassir said the organized scientific excavations did not begin until 1903 AD, with the arrival of the famous Italian Ernesto Seciaparelli [1856-1928 AD], director of the Egyptian Museum in Turin, obtaining the permit to excavate in the valley from the Department of Antiquities. He succeeded in discovering the tomb of the charming Queen Nefertari, the beauty of all beauties. 

Hussein Abdel Bassir added that Queen Nefertari is considered the main wife of the most famous pharaoh of Egypt, King Ramses II the Great [1290-1224 BC], and the mother of six of his most important children.