Coin smuggling attempt foiled at Cairo Intl Airport

Nevine El-Aref , Wednesday 1 Oct 2014

Seven Ottoman coins were found Wednesday in possession of an Egyptian passenger headed for the UAE

An attempt to smuggle seven Ottoman coins was foiled Wednesday at Cairo International Airport.

Youssef Khalifa, head of the ancient Egyptian antiquities section of the Ministry of Antiquities, related that during a routine inspection of luggage at the airport, customs personnel discovered seven antique coins in the luggage of an Egyptian citizen who was travelling to the United Arab Emirates.

The coins were of the same size and eroded. They bear the year when they were made, and decorative elements.

Khalifa continued that customs officers asked the Ministry of Antiquities to assign an archaeological committee to check the authenticity of the coins.

The committee, he said, verified the authenticity of the coins, saying they date back to the Ottoman period. The coins are now in the Egyptian Museum for restoration and study.

The Egyptian passenger was sent to investigators to know from where and how he obtained the coins.

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