The Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mohamed Ismail Khaled, revealed the details behind the theft of a stone tablet from a tomb in the Saqqara archaeological area.
During a phone interview with “al-Hekaya” (The Story) program on MBC Masr, Ismail said that the tomb where the theft occurred was being used as a storeroom.
He noted that this storeroom has not been opened since 2018.
Khaled added that Egypt has more than two million artifacts stored in warehouses.
He explained that an archaeological mission discovered, after recently opening the tomb, that a stone tablet was missing from the tomb in Saqqara area.
A committee was formed to investigate the disappearance, he said, adding that the entire matter had been referred to the Public Prosecution.
He noted that a part of the tablet was taken, but another part remained.
The tablet was found in the tomb of “Khentika,” which in turn is part of the tomb of King “Ti Ti” in Saqqara, adding that the tomb has been scientifically researched since 1952.
Khaled noted that the stolen stone tablet depicts the four seasons.
Ismail said that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, during a previous meeting, issued orders to establish a new, massive and highly secured antiquities warehouse equipped with state-of-the-art technology.
