Egypt’s Central Administration of Seized Antiquities Units managed to seize 72 ancient coins on Tuesday from a smuggling attempt at Safaga Port. The coins date back to the Greco-roman era, while 16 of them are from the Muhammad Ali Pasha era.
The coins were hidden among the belongings of a passenger who was trying to leave from Safaga. However, the Ministry of Antiquities did not announce the destination of the passenger. According to a statement published by the ministry, the port’s customs authorities formed an urgent committee upon the coins’ seizure, which quickly confirmed their authenticity.
It is not the first time for Safaga Port to witness illegal smuggling attempts. In 2017, the archaeological unit at Safaga successfully prevented an attempt of illegally smuggling 204 coins coming to Egypt from Dubai. The unit seized 17 coins also dating back to the Greco-Roman era, one from the Umayyad period, two from the Ottoman period, and ten from Mohamed Ali Pasha’s reign as well.
