Work has begun to restore priceless Egyptian antiquities, including a statue of King Tutankhamun, damaged by looters amid anti-government protests in Cairo, antiquities chief Zahi Hawass said on Sunday.
Seventy artifacts were damaged when looters broke into the world-famous Egyptian Museum, on the edge of Tahrir Square, focal point of an uprising against President Hosni Mubarak's regime.
“Restoration has started on the items, including on a statue of King Tutankhamun and a statute of King Akhenaten,” Hawass told AFP.
Looters had tried to break open a golden sarcophagus, hoping to find treasures inside, and some skeletons were also damaged, Hawass said.
A gallery displaying King Tut's treasures, on the other hand, “was fully secure and had not been damaged”.
After the break-in, troops were deployed around the landmark rosestone building formally known as the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, which has about 120 000 items on display or in storage.
Television images of looters storming the building alarmed archaeologists and curators around the world who called for urgent action to protect its artifacts, which includes King Tut's death mask.
Tutankhamun is believed to have died more than 3 000 years ago when he was about 18 years old. His nearly intact tomb, which included a gold coffin and mask, was discovered in 1922 by English archaeologist Howard Carter.
Source:
AFP [February 06, 2011]