Pharaoh's 3000-year-old ancient gold bracelet goes missing from Cairo Museum

According to the Interior Ministry of Egypt, a 3000-year-old Pharaoh's gold bracelet belonging to an ancient civilization was reportedly missing from an Egyptian museum in September 2025.

Adorned with spherical Lapis Lazuli stones, the beautiful gold jewel vanished from a conservation laboratory safe on September 9, 2025.

The incident was discovered as staff prepared artefacts for an exhibition to be held in Rome in October, 2025.

The disappearance, reported by Egyptian newspaper Al-Misri al-Yawm, came to light while dozens of items were being readied for shipment.

In response, the antiquities ministry formed a special committee to review the lab's artefacts and circulated a photo of the missing bracelet at Egypt's airports, seaports, and land border crossings.

Moreover, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities issued a statement on Thursday, September 18, 2025 informing that the ancient gold bracelet, which disappeared from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo earlier this month, was stolen and melted down.

According to the ministry, a restoration specialist took the artefact and sold it to a silver jeweller, as reported by Xinhua.

The silver jeweller then sold it to a gold jeweller for 180,000 Egyptian pounds (about US$3,735), who subsequently sold it for 194,000 Egyptian pounds to a gold smelter.

The smelter later melted the bracelet along with other jewellry before reshaping it.

Furthermore, the Egyptian ministry further informs that all four suspects have confessed, and the money involved has been seized and legal action has been taken against them.

Why it matters?

The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities reported the disappearance of the 3,000-year-old gold bracelet on Tuesday, September 16, 2025.

The bracelet was the highlight of the Cairo Museum which use to hold its own significance.

Highlighting the importance of the antique gold bracelet, the ministry informs that the precious item belonged to King Amenemope, a pharaoh of ancient Egypt's 21st Dynasty who ruled from 993 to 984 BC.

The Egyptian Museum Cairo EMC is the Middle East's oldest archaeological museum, and holds over 170,000 artefacts, including Amenemope's gilded wooden funerary mask.

Museums housing ancient artefacts are a vital pillar for attracting tourists and a significant source of foreign currency in Egypt.