It began with a Facebook post claiming a theft at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and ended with an official statement from the Ministry of Interior announcing the arrest of thieves who stole and melted a 3,000-year-old ancient Egyptian bracelet. And just like that, a classic Egyptian X-File was born.
Early Monday, September 15th, a post by one of Egypt’s heritage activists went viral on Facebook, and it said the following :
Well-informed sources in Egypt’s antiquities sector have disclosed a troubling incident at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square. Just two days ago “Friday 13th”, during the packing and preparation of artifacts bound for Italy’s Treasures of the Pharaohs exhibition at Rome’s Scuderie del Quirinale (October 24 to May 3), staff discovered that one piece was missing: an ancient Egyptian bracelet.
The disappearance came to light during a final inventory check in the conservation lab, when the artifacts were being matched against the official lists.
Authorities immediately sealed the lab, held those present for questioning, and notified the public prosecutor. Tourism and Antiquities Police, along with officers from Cairo’s Qasr al-Nil district, secured the premises.
Phones belonging to employees were confiscated, and the conservation workshop itself was sealed pending further investigation.
While some staff were released after initial questioning, others remain under scrutiny as officials review surveillance footage to trace how the bracelet vanished—just days before the priceless collection was due to travel abroad.
Within a few hours, Egypt’s tabloid news websites not only confirmed the incident but also claimed that the stolen piece was a remarkable bracelet belonging to King Psusennes I.
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| Original King Psusennes I's bracelet at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo 18/9/2025-Tanis Collection hall, second floor |
At the time of its discovery, it was the only royal tomb from the Third Intermediate Period found completely intact, untouched by thieves.
On Tuesday, September 16th, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced that it had initiated an investigation and notified the Public Prosecution after a rare golden bracelet went missing from a conservation lab at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo’s Tahrir.
The bracelet, crafted from solid gold and lapis lazuli, belonged to King Amenemope of Egypt’s 21st Dynasty during the Third Intermediate Period. It disappeared from a secure conservation centre while being prepared for an overseas exhibition.
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| The official released photo of the stolen Amenemope's bracelet |
The ministry added that it has circulated images of the unique piece to all border crossings, airports, and ports to prevent its potential smuggling out of the country.
A special committee has also been formed to conduct a full inventory of all artefacts within the restoration lab.
Additionally, the ministry confirmed that photos circulating on social media, purportedly of the missing item, are inaccurate, stating that such images show similar bracelets that are safely on public display.
The ministry acknowledged that it had deliberately delayed announcing the incident to avoid compromising the ongoing investigation.
Not so famous, King Amenemope is the son of King Psusennes II and was buried in his father’s cemetery in Tanis. Thus, Amenemope’s funerary jewellery is part of Psusennes-Tanis collections.
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| The golden funerary mask of King Amenemope at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo in 2015. It is among the pieces to be shown in Rome. |
On Thursday, September 18th, Egypt’s Interior Ministry announced the arrest of four suspects involved in the theft of a rare Late Period gold bracelet from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, which was later melted down and sold as ordinary jewellery.
كشف ملابسات ما تبلغ لوزارة الداخلية بتاريخ 13 الجارى من كلٍ من (وكيل المتحف المصرى، أخصائى ترميم بالمتحف) لإكتشافهما إختفاء أسورة ذهبية "تعود للعصر المتأخر" من داخل خزينة حديدية بمعمل الترميم داخل المتحف.
— وزارة الداخلية (@moiegy) September 18, 2025
فقد أسفرت التحريات عن أن مرتكبة الواقعة (أخصائية ترميم بالمتحف المصرى)،… pic.twitter.com/SYh2WzwsDd
The Ministry said in a statement issued on Thursday that it received a report on September 13th from museum officials after the disappearance of the artifact from a secure locker in the museum’s restoration laboratory.
Investigations revealed that a museum restoration specialist exploited her access on September 9 to steal the bracelet.
She later contacted an acquaintance who owned a silver shop in Sayeda Zeinab, selling the artifact for LE 180,000 (USD 3,736).
That shopkeeper then resold it to a gold workshop owner in the historic jewellery district, who in turn passed it on to a gold foundry worker for LE 194,000 (USD 4,025).
The worker melted the bracelet and recast it into other gold pieces.
Authorities said all four suspects were arrested, confessed to the crime, and the proceeds of the sale were recovered.
Legal measures are currently underway.
The Interior Ministry released a video from the silver shop CCTV showing its owner receiving the bracelet, breaking and weighing it. It is not of the best quality
The ministry’s statement didn’t end the story—it only fueled the controversy.
Public opinion quickly split into two camps. One group accepted the Interior Ministry’s account and was shocked that a restoration expert could steal the bracelet, or that a jeweller would melt a 3,000-year-old artifact.
Their reasoning is simple: a registered antiquity can’t just be smuggled away for a few thousand dollars.
Still, I find it hard to believe that a professional would sell a royal bracelet of solid gold for only $4,000—the alleged motive being quick cash to ease financial problems.
It makes little sense. And while being listed in Egypt’s antiquities register should, in theory, protect such treasures, history shows otherwise.
The black market for antiquities is thriving and far larger than the official one. Many registered pieces have vanished before—from the Egyptian Museum, the Museum of Islamic Art, and most infamously, Van Gogh’s Poppy Flowers, stolen from the Mohamed Mahmoud Khalil Museum in 2010 and still missing to this day.
During the 18 days of the Egyptian Revolution in 2011, nearly 50 artifacts were stolen, though most were later recovered—including the gilded wooden statue of Tutankhamun, which was retrieved in April of the same year, among other stuff.
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| The two small golden gilded statues of Tut harpooning at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo in December 2015 |
Other details revealed in the Interior Ministry's statement also raise eyebrows. For instance, the jeweller accused of melting the bracelet didn’t hesitate to weigh and test it in front of his shop’s CCTV cameras.
He didn’t even question the lack of an official hallmark, which should have signalled it was either illegally made or ancient. Some argue he simply overlooked it, while others suggest a calculated move—deliberately leaving himself on camera to later claim ignorance in court and secure a lighter sentence.
But here’s the catch: nothing definitively proves that the bracelet shown in the video was the stolen ancient piece. All we have are confessions in a police report, and the suspects claim it was melted—leaving no material evidence.
A number of respected archaeologists and conservators believe it wasn’t the same bracelet at all, noting that the one in the footage appears noticeably larger. That’s why the dominant conspiracy theory in Egypt is that the real bracelet was smuggled abroad.
Some restoration experts are baffled, noting that strict security measures are always enforced when transferring ancient Egyptian artifacts containing gold to the Grand Egyptian Museum or to international exhibitions.
Unanswered questions linger.
Where is the gemstone?
Why was there no security or CCTV in the museum’s Conservation Department?
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| The Management office of the Conservation Center at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo |
Why are restoration experts—entrusted with priceless treasures—paid salaries below the minimum wage, even though the Cairo Museum is one of the country’s most profitable institutions?
We must acknowledge that since its inauguration in November 1902, the staff of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo has managed to safeguard over 150,000 ancient Egyptian artefacts—the largest collection in the world—mostly without the aid of CCTV or internet, and despite facing low salaries, corruption, and economic hardships.
Three similar bracelets of King Amenemope remain in Psusennes II’s collection, but one is gone—whether melted down or trafficked abroad.
Either way, Egypt has suffered another loss, not only at the hands of thieves but also due to negligence.
Personally, I won’t be surprised if this bracelet resurfaces at an international auction in some shady auction house years from now.
Frankly, that would be a more hopeful outcome than imagining it destroyed forever for a mere $4,000.
Update: The Amenemope bracelet has become one of the most sought-after accessories in Egypt in 2025. Egyptian jewelry designer Mariam Ayad recreated the piece, and it quickly turned into a sensation.
Demand has skyrocketed, and for those in Egypt, it can be ordered directly through her Facebook page.
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