Police seize ancient Egyptian, Greek artifacts in Upper Egypt

CAIRO - 18 January 2018: The Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities Police managed to seize a historical statue dating back to the Pharaonic era, in addition to discovering illegal excavation works, searching for unearthed artifacts beneath two houses in Sohag, according to a statement by the Ministry of Interior.

The police also found a hallway connected to two crypts excavated by the accused; the crypts’ walls were made of ancient Greek stones and mud, each taking the shape of a pyramid.

Also, the Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities Police seized a statue made from Pink Granite which was illegaly unearthed by a citizen; the statue carried inscriptions written in the Ancient Egyptian language.

A high level committee from the Central Administration of Conservation and Restoration, and the Supreme Council of Antiquities confirmed the authenticity of the statue, and credited it as a historical artifact.

In the last few months, Tourism and Antiquities Police managed to seize a huge number of artifacts in Upper Egypt; for example, in October 2017, the Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities Police managed to seize around 99 artifacts from two citizens in Assiut.