The British Archaeological Association (BAA) organizes a protest in front of Christie's auction house denouncing selling Tutankhamun Head and 32 artifacts in London on Thursday.
Christie's auction house will offer Tutankhamun head and 31 Egyptian artifacts in London. This move flouts all the Egyptian government and the international community`s movements, which called on the auction house to stop selling the Egyptian heritage.
Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities informed the attorney general to send legal assistance to the British authorities. He called on British authorities to stop selling these artifacts and restore them back to Cairo, according to the Protection of Egyptian Antiquities Law and international conventions related.
Egyptian Public Prosecution has sent rogatory to its British counterpart, to stop selling these artifacts and to reserve it ahead of taking procedures in order to restore it back to Egypt.
BAA is set to stage a protest in front of Christie's auction house at 6:30 am (London local time), to stop selling the carved King Tutankhamun's head, and 31 other Egyptian artifacts. The protest includes dozens of Egyptian and British lovers Egypt's antiquities.
"Our aim is to send a message to the whole world since our artifacts are being sold without title deeds and to demand the amendment of UNESCO's laws that allow trafficking of Egyptian antiquities that were taken outside of Egypt before the law was passed,” said BAA`s Head Heba Aziz.
Aziz said: "We sent an official letter to the British authorities, demanding them to stop such practices and restore the smuggled artifacts back to Egypt, especially Tutankhamun's head.”
“Tutankhamun's head is a unique artifact of more than three thousand years; it was illegally smuggled from the Karnak Temple in Luxor," Aziz added.
She went on to say: "We will raise several banners during the protest, including Tutankhamun's head is not for selling, UNESCO save our global heritage and Stop trafficking in smuggled antiquities”.
"Egypt's ministry of antiquities and ministry of foreign affairs, immediately after monitoring the announcement of selling such artifacts, have addressed Christie's auction house, UNESCO and British ministry of foreign affairs, to stop such practices, calling for Egypt's right to restore it under the current and previous Egyptian laws,” Aziz said.
Contributed by Ahmad El-Assasy
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