(JTA) — Egyptian police seized a collection of Jewish artifacts from a local port as they were about to be smuggled to Belgium.
The artifacts were discovered hidden among other cargo at the Damietta port, Egyptian Antiquities Minister Mohammed Ibrahim said Friday in a statement.
The objects are covered by a 1983 law on the protection of antiquities making it illegal to trade in antiquities, which are considered the property of the state.
Among the antiquities were several wooden boxes with silver plating used to house Torah scrolls, a silver knife dated to 1890 with inscriptions, a silver crown bearing Hebrew text, silver chandeliers and silver bells.
Ibrahim said the objects would be studied to determine their provenance.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
