Case · Looting
The Egyptian Museum Looting, Cairo
Antiquities damaged and stolen amid the Arab Spring
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Image: Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
During the 2011 revolution, intruders entered Cairo's Egyptian Museum, damaging and stealing artefacts — including objects associated with Tutankhamun. Some were later recovered.
As protests filled Tahrir Square, the neighbouring museum was breached. Display cases were smashed and dozens of objects taken or damaged, among them items linked to Tutankhamun's collection.
Citizen volunteers formed a human chain to protect the building, and a number of the missing objects were subsequently recovered. The episode became a symbol of how political upheaval endangers cultural heritage.