Damietta – Egypt Stops Attempt To Smuggle Jewish Artifacts

Damietta, Egypt – Authorities in Egypt say they have seized a cache of Jewish religious artifacts that smugglers wanted to ship to Belgium at one of the country’s main ports.

Antiquities Minister Mohammed Ibrahim said in a statement Friday that officials found the artifacts while searching cargo Thursday at the coastal city of Damietta.

Among the artifacts are a cylindrical wooden box plated in silver, which would have held Torah scrolls. Officials also found a silver knife dating to roughly 1890 with inscriptions, and bells commonly hung in synagogues.

A committee will study and date the cache, which the statement says “embodies a period of religious tolerance in Egypt’s history.”

Egypt has experienced a security vacuum since its 2011 uprising. Thousands of artifacts have been stolen.