(Photo from Ministry of Antiquities)
The Ministry of Antiquities is cooperating with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to stop an upcoming sale of eight ancient wooden panels in London. The sale is supposed to take place at the Bonhams auction house, and the panels are believed to have been stolen in April 2012.
The ancient panels belong to the Abbasids dome in the Sayda Nefisa neighbourhood, and date back to the 13th century. The ministry reportedly received a message from an Egyptian woman living in London, who alerted them to the upcoming sale. Since the artefacts were smuggled outside of the country, law no. 117 can be applied to it, which bans the sale of cultural artefacts belonging to countries of ancient civilisations. In a statement, the ministry assured people that they are taking all legal measures to bring the panels back to Egypt, including notifying Interpol.
The dome houses the remains of the Abbasids Caliphates who died in Egypt in the seventh and eighth Hijri centuries. It also includes the remains of the children of Al Zahir Baibars, the 13th century Mamluk Sultan of Egypt. The dome extends over an area of 90 square metres and a height of 5.5 metres.
