Egypt launches nationwide hunt for ancient pharaoh’s missing gold bracelet

Authorities in Egypt have launched a countrywide search after a priceless gold bracelet, once belonging to Pharaoh Amenemope, vanished from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

The 3,000-year-old artifact was under restoration in a museum laboratory when it disappeared, the Tourism and Antiquities Ministry said. “Adorned with spherical lapis lazuli beads, belonging to King Amenemope from the Third Intermediate Period,” the ministry added.

A photo of the bracelet has been circulated to airports, seaports, and border crossings across Egypt to prevent potential smuggling, according to a statement shared with NBC News on Wednesday. The ministry also cautioned that images circulating on social media show a different artifact.

Lapis lazuli, known for its deep blue color and flecks of gold, was highly valued in ancient Egypt for its connection to the gods and believed healing properties. The bracelet was part of a collection scheduled to travel to Italy next month for the exhibition Treasures of the Pharaohs at a museum in Rome.

The ministry said it delayed publicly announcing the disappearance to avoid compromising the investigation. A specialized committee has been formed to inventory and inspect all artifacts in the museum’s restoration lab to ensure no other items are missing.

Amenemope, a pharaoh of the 21st dynasty, ruled Egypt from 993 to 984 B.C. His tomb, one of only three fully intact royal burials discovered in Egypt, was unearthed in April 1940 by French Egyptologists Pierre Montet and Georges Goyon, though excavation was delayed due to World War II.

Egypt has a history of high-profile art thefts. Vincent van Gogh’s Poppy Flowers, valued at around USD 55 million, was stolen from Cairo’s Mohamed Mahmoud Khalil Museum in 1977, recovered two years later, and then stolen again in 2010; it remains missing.