A number of authentic and replica artefacts have disappeared from an antiquities storehouse at the American University in Cairo, Nevine El-Aref reports The theft of more than 140 ancient Egyptian artefacts from a storehouse beneath Ewart Hall at the Downtown Cairo campus of the American University in Cairo (AUC) captured the headlines this week. It also raised questions about the very existence at AUC of such a storehouse, which no one seems to have known about apart for university employees. The director of the Communications Office at AUC, Rehab Saad, said in a statement sent to Al-Ahram Weekly that all the objects in the storehouse were AUC property and were duly registered with the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities (now the Ministry of State for Antiquities Affairs [MSAA]) as part of Egypt's national heritage collection. Zahi Hawass, the minister of state for antiquities affairs, confirmed that all the antiquities stored in the AUC storehouse, as well as the pieces apparently stolen in late March, had been documented by the MSAA. Hawass explained that the artefacts came from excavations led by American archaeologist George Scanlon in the Fustat area of Old Cairo, which began in 1946. Under Egyptian Law 215, enacted in 1951 and repealed in 1983, the objects from the excavation were divided between Egypt and the foreign country involved. In this case, a number of objects were stored at the old AUC campus in Downtown Cairo. Hawass said that complete inventory of the AUC collection was taken a year ago by the Supreme Council of Antiquities, and after the theft the ministry conducted a new inventory which revealed that 145 authentic pieces and 50 replicas were missing. The collection was looted once before, in 1989, and the culprit is still at large. "The AUC is deeply disturbed by what appears to have been the theft of antiquities in custody," Saad told the Weekly. She added that the university was cooperating fully with the official judicial investigation as well as conducting an internal investigation of its own. She also pointed out that the university expected to make public the findings of its investigation when it was concluded. Ali El-Arabi, executive director of supply chain management and business support at AUC said he learnt of theft when he received reports that there had been an attempt to steal the artefacts, and sent employees to check the area. They found the lock broken. A report was made at the Qasr Al-Nil police station. Three AUC employees have been arrested and charged in connection with the theft.
