The Story of the Stolen Pharaoh Bracelet Ends With Tragedy, Not With Recovery

The mystery has taken a heartbreaking turn. The story of the Pharaoh gold bracelet stolen from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo’s Tahrir Square has ended not with recovery, but with tragedy. The 3,000-year-old bracelet, belonging to Pharaoh Amenemope, has been melted down for gold and lost forever.

According to Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities, the theft occurred on September 9. The bracelet, kept in a safe inside the museum’s restoration laboratory, was allegedly stolen by a restoration specialist working at the museum itself. Investigators say she handed the piece to an acquaintance who owns a silver shop in Cairo. From there, the bracelet changed hands multiple times. First, it was sold for around $3,800 to a gold workshop, then resold for about $4,000. It was finally melted down and reshaped into other jewelry.

Four suspects have been arrested, but the damage is irreparable. What makes the loss even more painful is that this wasn’t just any artifact—it was a royal bracelet crafted from 600 grams of solid gold, adorned with a lapis lazuli bead, and it had survived more than 3,000 years.

The revelation has sparked outrage on social media. Many users voiced disbelief that a restoration specialist—someone entrusted with preserving history—would be behind such an act. Others lamented not only the betrayal, but also the fact that the thief didn’t seem to recognize the priceless cultural value of what she destroyed.

What was meant to shine in Rome’s upcoming Treasures of the Pharaohs exhibition will never be seen again.

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