Two murals dating back to the sixth dynasty of ancient Egypt (2,345-2,181BC) were retrieved on Monday in Paris by an Egyptian delegation after being stolen from an excavation site in Cairo in 2001, a statement from the country’s prosecutor general Hamada El Sawy said.
Mr El Sawy is heading the delegation currently in Paris to repatriate the decorated stone slabs.
The murals, both of which are cream-coloured and decorated with hieroglyphics, date back about 4,200 years and were discovered in 2001 by a French archaeological mission excavating in the Saqqara necropolis.
The mission, led by renowned Egyptologist Vassil Dobrev, unearthed the tomb of a sixth dynasty priest in an area where a number of other priest tombs were also unearthed. The mission ended their work in 2001 and went on holiday, only to return in 2002 to find that the two murals, which they had left inside the tomb, had been expertly removed and smuggled out.
Ten years later, Mr Dobrev was visiting a museum in Budapest when he found the murals on exhibit. He later saw more of the tomb’s contents on sale at a Paris auction house, which prompted him to notify the Egyptian authorities.
The theft of the murals has been under investigation for decades. It has recently been linked to a series of relic robberies from Egyptian archaeological sites by an organised group of smugglers who employ “strict methods” to extract artefacts out of Egypt and forge whatever documents are necessary, the prosecutor general said.
Investigations revealed that one of the main suspects in the theft of the murals was a renowned antiquities dealer based in Paris who claimed to have bought them from someone in Switzerland. His claims were found to be untrue after investigators determined that the documents he was using to prove the sale were forged.
The suspects will undergo due legal process in France.
It is believed that the network of robbers which extracted the murals is the same as that involved in another case of smuggling, for which ex-Louvre chief Jean-Luc Martinez was last year charged for conspiring to hide the origins of artefacts taken out of Egypt. The artefacts were removed from the country in a period of turmoil during the 2011 Arab Uprisings.
The area is known as one of the few burial sites in Egypt with relics dating back to the Old Kingdom.
Law enforcement teams from the two countries have been co-operating to curb artefact smuggling out of Egypt, which to this day remains rampant.
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Wenger's Arsenal reign in numbers
1,228 - games at the helm, ahead of Sunday's Premier League fixture against West Ham United.
704 - wins to date as Arsenal manager.
3 - Premier League title wins, the last during an unbeaten Invincibles campaign of 2003/04.
1,549 - goals scored in Premier League matches by Wenger's teams.
10 - major trophies won.
473 - Premier League victories.
7 - FA Cup triumphs, with three of those having come the last four seasons.
151 - Premier League losses.
21 - full seasons in charge.
49 - games unbeaten in the Premier League from May 2003 to October 2004.
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Liverpool’s fixtures until end of 2019
Saturday, November 30, Brighton (h)
Wednesday, December 4, Everton (h)
Saturday, December 7, Bournemouth (a)
Tuesday, December 10, Salzburg (a) CL
Saturday, December 14, Watford (h)
Tuesday, December 17, Aston Villa (a) League Cup
Wednesday, December 18, Club World Cup in Qatar
Saturday, December 21, Club World Cup in Qatar
Thursday, December 26, Leicester (a)
Sunday, December 29, Wolves (h)
At a glance - Zayed Sustainability Prize 2020
Launched: 2008
Categories: Health, energy, water, food, global high schools
Prize: Dh2.2 million (Dh360,000 for global high schools category)
Winners’ announcement: Monday, January 13
Impact in numbers
335 million people positively impacted by projects
430,000 jobs created
10 million people given access to clean and affordable drinking water
50 million homes powered by renewable energy
6.5 billion litres of water saved
26 million school children given solar lighting
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The lowdown
Bohemian Rhapsody
Director: Bryan Singer
Starring: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:
Ajax 2-3 Tottenham
Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate
Final: June 1, Madrid
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 258hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,000rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.1L/100km
Price: from Dh362,500
On sale: now
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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South Korea
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Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Naga
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About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support
