Egyptian Police Seize Jewish Artifacts Being Smuggled to Belgium
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Egyptian police seized a collection of Jewish artifacts from a local port as they were about to be smuggled to Belgium.
The artifacts were discovered hidden among other cargo at Damietta port, Egyptian Antiquities Minister Mohammed Ibrahim said Friday in a statement.
The objects are covered by a 1983 law on the protection of antiquities, which makes it illegal to trade in antiquities, which are considered the property of the state.
Among the antiquities were several wooden boxes with silver plating used to house Torah scrolls, a silver knife dated to 1890 with inscriptions on it, a silver crown bearing Hebrew text, silver chandeliers and silver bells.
The objects will be studied to determine their provenance, according to Ibrahim.
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