GEM Welcomes 181 Artifacts from Tahrir Museum

Amid tight security measures and under the supervision of Major General Atef Moftah, supervisor-general of the GEM project, 181 artifacts  were transferred to the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) on Thursday from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir.

The head of GEM archaeological affairs Al-Tayeb Abbas said that the artifacts date back to different historical periods, including a collection of wooden statues referring to the Middle Kingdom alongside ship models carrying salesmen.

Abbas added that among the most significant pieces is a statue of King Akhenaten, which dates back to the new kingdom. "The statue, which is made of sandstone, holds a wand and measures 194 cm × 114 cm × 80 cm.

Issa Zeidan, Director General of the Preliminary Restoration and Transportation of Heavy Antiquities at GEM confirmed that a restoration team carried out conservation and maintenance work, strengthening the weak crusts of the artifacts.

In addition, the team also prepared a report on the condition of each artifact prior to its packaging.

Contributed by: Taarek Refaat