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Gallery: Egypt exhibits stolen ancient golden coffin in Cairo
Looted amidst the tumult of Egypt’s 2011 revolution, the golden coffin of priest Nedjemankh was unveiled on Tuesday in Cairo after its return from New York.
Egypt’s Antiquities Minister Khaled El-Enany (L) and Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Cairo Thomas Goldberger look at the Golden Coffin of Nedjemankh, on display at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo.
Standing at 1.8 metres (six foot), the fine gilded sarcophagus has gained notoriety, apart from for its historical value, for its role at the centre of an international trafficking ring.
Dating back to the Ptolemaic period (1st-2nd century BC), the ornate wooden coffin was designed for Nedjemankh, a high priest of the ram-headed god Heryshef.
The shimmering artefact adorned with gesso reliefs had been housed since 2017 in New York’s Metropolitan Museum, which purchased it from a Paris art dealer for around 3.5 million euros ($3.8 million).
