Egypt renews its demand to restore 32 artifacts from London

CAIRO - 14 June 2019: Egypt has demanded the restoration of 32 artifacts, including the head of the golden pharaoh Tutankhamen from London.

According to a statement made by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, the Standing Committee for Antiquities of Egypt expressed "great objection to the auction halls (Christie's) in the British capital, London, for putting artifacts belonging to the Egyptian civilization for sale."

The statement mentioned that Christie's Auction Hall in London is planning to display 32 Egyptian artifacts for sale, including the head of a stone statue attributed to King Tutankhamen at a public auction scheduled for July 3 and 4.

The Ministry of Antiquities stressed "the need to stop the sale and immediately return all pieces that were illegally smuggled out of Egypt”.

This is the second official address as the Egyptian Foreign Ministry called on London on June 10 to stop the sale of the head of the golden pharaoh Tutankhamen's statue and asked for documents proving the ownership of the antiquities.

According to local Egyptian news, the British auction hall announced a price of GBP 4 million (about $ 5 million) on the carved head of King Tutankhamen.

Tutankhamen is one of the most famous pharaohs in the ancient history of Egypt (from 1334 to 1325 BC) and has gained international fame especially in the tourist community.

In the summer of 2017, the Ministry of Antiquities announced the loss of 32,638 artifacts spanning over a time period of fifty years, based on its inventory work.