Legendary pharaoh's gold bracelet vanishes from popular museum, hunt for suspect underway

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A once-powerful pharaoh's priceless bracelet has been stolen from an Egyptian museum, putting officials on high alert.

The disappearance of the bracelet, which once belonged to Pharaoh Usermaatre Amenemope, was announced by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on Sept. 17.

The artifact was stolen from the restoration laboratory of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

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The Egyptian Museum, one of the country's most popular tourist spots, houses the world's largest collection of Egyptian antiquities.

The institution has over 120,000 artifacts in its collections.

Officials circulated pictures of the bracelet, which is made of gold and strung with beads made of lapis lazuli, a blue stone prized in antiquity.

Amenemope ruled during the Third Intermediate Period, likely between 993 and 984 B.C., making the bracelet more than 3,000 years old.

It is unclear when the bracelet was stolen, and officials said that their announcements about the theft in early September were delayed "in order to provide a suitable environment to ensure the progress of investigations."

"The image of the bracelet has been circulated to all archaeological units at airports, border crossings and seaports across the Republic," the tourism ministry said in a statement translated from Arabic to English.

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"A specialized committee was also formed to inventory and review all artifacts present in the restoration laboratory."

The tourism ministry also referred the case to the police and the Public Prosecution, which is Egypt's national prosecutorial authority.

"The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities affirms that the delay in announcing the incident was intended to provide the appropriate environment to ensure the smooth progress of investigations," the statement added.

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The theft of the bracelet comes as Egypt remains one of the world's most popular tourist places, attracting several million visitors per year.

The country's government recently revealed its plans to build a mega resort at Mount Sinai, the place where God gave Moses the Ten Commandments.

Archaeologists have also uncovered a variety of treasures, including ancient tombs, which officials hope will boost cultural tourism.