Egypt recovers passport of late President Anwar Sadat after being auctioned in US

CAIRO – 2 April 2023: Egypt’s Bibliotheca Alexandrina restored the passport of the late President Mohamed Anwar Sadat after being auctioned abroad at the US Heritage Auctions House on February 22.

Auctioning the passport sparked widespread controversy in Egypt on how the passport was sold abroad and the family of the late president asked for launching an investigation into how it was auctioned.

Anwar Sadat Diplomatic Passport Number 1 was issued on March 19, 1974, and was valid until March 18, 1981, the auction house in the description. The forty-eight pages, 3.75" x 5.25", was sold on February 22 for $47,500, according to the official website of the auction house.

Previously, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina denied that it was handed over the passport from the family of late President Sadat, affirming that all Sadat’s collectibles given to the library by late First Lady Jehan Al Sadat were placed at the 260-square-meter Sadat Museum in the Bibliotheca.

After restoring the passport, the bibliotheca said that it has been housed in the Sadat Museum, which is the first of its kind exhibition that documents Egypt's modern and contemporary history.

The museum hosts the most important holdings of the late president, especially collectibles of the period of the October war and victories. It also shows the statement of the war decision and documents about the liberating of Sinai, and the size of the enemy's losses, in addition to a letter sent to the Syrian president at that time talking about Egypt's victory and the size of the losses suffered by the enemy, and a set of photos documenting the 1973 war and the destruction of the "Bar Lev" line.

The museum houses Sadat’s suit he wore when he was assassinated in 1981, besides the suit he wore when he was raising the Egyptian flag on Sinai’s Arish after signing the peace accord with Israel.

It also contains a photo of Sadat with the current US President Joe Biden when the first paid a visit to the US Senate, of which Biden was a member.

Finally, it also houses a corner for President Sadat's personal belongings for shaving and toothbrushes, besides another corner for Sadat's real office and his library, which includes a collection of his books.