Egyptian police seek rare pharaonic painting stolen from Saqqara tomb near Cairo

By&nbspEuronews Arabic&nbspwith&nbspTokunbo Salako

Published on 12/10/2025 - 18:03 GMT+2

The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has revealed that a uncommon archaeological coating making love backmost to nan Late Dynastic era has vanished from nan celebrated Khenti-Ka tomb successful Saqqara, adjacent Cairo.

The coating was precocious discovered missing, though nan theft likely took spot during 2018 and 2019, nan ministry said successful a statement.

The coating is considered 1 of nan uncommon pieces of ancient Egyptian heritage, arsenic it depicts portion of nan mural inscriptions related to nan almanac and seasons of nan twelvemonth successful nan tomb of Khenti Ka, 1 of nan important tombs successful nan Saqqara area making love backmost to nan Old Kingdom era.

The Saqqara archaeological area, located astir 30 kilometres south of nan Giza pyramids westbound of Cairo, is 1 of nan richest archaeological sites successful Egypt, pinch tombs of royalty, priests and princes from different eras, including nan Step Pyramid of Djoser and a group of tombs that archive nan beginnings of nan improvement of funerary creation successful ancient Egypt.

The thieves trim nan coating from nan wall of nan tomb utilizing a saw, successful an incident that experts described arsenic bold and unprecedented, and workers only noticed its absence during a observant inventory of archaeological artefacts successful nan area.

The ministry explained that archaeological authorities began weeks agone to cautiously reappraisal each humanities records and books of Saqqara's holdings, immoderate of which day backmost to nan 1960s, successful bid to find nan nonstop clip play of nan painting's disappearance and lucifer its descriptions and images pinch nan objects officially registered pinch nan ministry.

Legal proceedings and follow-up investigation

Dr Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary General of nan Supreme Council of Antiquities, confirmed that each basal ineligible measures person been taken and that nan lawsuit has been referred to nan Public Prosecution Service for investigation.

He explained that nan tomb had been wholly closed and utilized arsenic an archaeological storehouse since its find successful nan 1950s, and has not been opened since 2019, noting that an archaeological committee headed by Dr Amr Al-Tibi, supervisor of Saqqara Antiquities, was formed to behaviour a afloat inventory of nan contents of nan tomb.

Khaled added that arsenic soon arsenic nan archaeological committee's study was received, it was submitted to nan Public Prosecution connected nan aforesaid day, stressing that nan Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities is intimately pursuing up connected nan investigation successful coordination pinch nan competent authorities.

Two archaeological thefts successful arsenic galore weeks

The theft comes aft different incident past period that deed nan headlines, nan disappearance of an archaeological golden bracelet from nan Egyptian Museum successful Tahrir, making love backmost to nan era of nan Third Transition.

Administrative investigations revealed that a restoration master astatine nan depository took nan bracelet and near nan tract pinch nan volition of trading it later.

The prosecution's inspection showed that nan bracelet dates backmost to nan Third Transition era, astir 900 BC, is made of axenic golden and group pinch a uncommon lapis lazuli stone, and was connected show successful 1 of nan museum's halls earlier it was transferred to nan restoration laboratory successful mentation for show successful an accumulation abroad.