Photos of Antique Coins Confiscated in Failed Smuggling Attempt

The archaeological unit, in cooperation with the Customs Department at Cairo International Airport’s passengers' building no.2, has successfully stopped an attempt to smuggle 34 antique coins found in the possession of a passenger.

Dr. Mustafa Waziri, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, stated that immediate action has been taken as soon as the archaeological unit at Cairo Int’l Airport has received a notification from the Customs Department of passenger Building No. 2 of suspecting an attempt to smuggle archaeological coins. The archaeological unit at Cairo International Airport formed a committee headed by archaeologist Dina Mahmoud to confirm the antiquity of the coins and have accordingly been seized and confiscated according to Antiquities’ Protection Law no. 117 of 1983.

 

Hamdi Hammam, Head of the Central Administration of Archaeological Units at the Supreme Council of Antiquities added that the seized coins date back to different historical eras, including a dinar from the Abbasid era with writings in Kufic script, 24 circular coins from the Ottoman era and the era of Sultan Hussein Kamel. This in addition to a gold coin dating back to 1255, 8 coins dating back to the era of King Fuad I and another dating back to King Farouk.