CAIRO: The customs officials in Cairo’s Badr city have thwarted an attempt to smuggle rare manuscripts, documents and first edition books to Qatar.
“A total of 31 rare manuscripts, personal photos of Arab leaders and wedding contracts dating back to the early 1900 were seized while finalizing exporting procedures for an import and export company shipping the items to Qatar,” an informed source at the Badr city customs authority told media.
Legal measures were taken and a police report was filed, said the sources, the seized items have been confiscated and will be delivered to the Ministry of Antiquities, in accordance with the provisions of 1973 Antiquities Protection Law 117.
Officials at the archaeological unit at the Badr city customs department inspected the objects and confirmed their authenticity, he added.
Since the outbreak of January 25 Revolution in 2011 and its consequent security lapses across Egypt, the Tourism and Antiquities Police, in coordination with Cairo airport’s authorities, have thwarted several attempts to smuggle ancient Egyptian antiquities.
