Cairo: Four Pharaonic artifacts stolen from the Egyptian Museum on January 28 have been recovered, announced Egypt's minister of antiquities on Tuesday. Zahi Hawass, recently re-appointed to the position, said at a press conference that the recovered artifacts include a rare 85cm tall gilded wooden statue of Tutankhamen, reported state news agency MENA. The Egyptian Antiquities Ministry has complained recently about thefts of artifacts around the country because of a lack of sufficient security for heritage sites. The ministry said that 1000 ancient relics were stolen during Egypt's January 25 revolution. Hawass also revealed that a special police force will be deployed to protect Egypt's archaeological sites and museums following the recent wave of vandalism and looting. He told reporters Tuesday that the authorities have been unable to protect the antiquities because police personnel were not armed fully. BM
