Egypt demands auction of 3,000-yr-old statue be cancelled

Christie’s auction house in London has been asked to stop the sale of a statue of Boy King Tutankhamun on Thursday, with Egyptian officials claiming it was stolen and should be returned.

Christie’s says Egypt has not expressed concern about the bust in the past despite it being exhibited publicly.

The brown quartzite relic comes from a private collection of ancient art that Christie’s last sold for £3m in 2016.

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The auction house also said that the bust’s existence had been known for a long time and it had been on display for years.

Egypt’s former antiquities minister Zahi Hawass BBC that the relic probably left Egypt after 1970 because in that time other artefacts were stolen from the Karnak Temple.

However, Egypt introduced laws in 1983 banning the removal of artefacts from the country without authorization.

Tutankhamun died over 3,000 years ago aged 19. His remains were found in 1922.

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