A rare
Islamic manuscript consigned to a Bonhams auction in London has been returned
to Egypt in the latest example of Egyptian authorities succeeding in retrieving
artefacts from abroad.
The
manuscript titled Summary of the science of history by Mohammed bin Sulaiman
Masood Al Kafiji, known as Mohiuddin Al Kafiji, was formerly in the collection
of the Egyptian National Library and Archives but disappeared in the 1970s.
Dating from the 14th century, it is considered an important and early study in
historical theory. Al Kafiji was born in modern-day Iran but is thought to have
travelled to Jerusalem and then to Cairo.
The
Egyptian National Library and Archives reportedly spotted the manuscript online
in a sale taking place in April. Contacting Bonhams through Egypt’s embassy in
London, the library was able to show documents to prove it was the same
manuscript that had previously been in its possession. After talks with the
vendor, a deal was secured to ensure the safe return of the item to the Cairo
library, with the auction house handing over the manuscript to the library last
month.
In a
press conference earlier this week to announce the return of the manuscript,
Egypt’s Minister of Culture Inas Abdel-Dayem thanked Bonhams for agreeing to
help in the negotiations with the manuscript’s owner. While Bonhams would not
reveal anything about how the vendor had acquired it or what level it had been
estimated, a spokesman for the auctioneers said: “Bonhams was delighted to be
of assistance in helping the owner restore this important manuscript to its
rightful home.”
Further
recoveries
Since
June, Egyptian authorities have also succeeding in retrieving ancient Egyptian
artefacts from both France and Italy. In a separate development, the Thai
embassy in Washington, DC recently secured the return of a group of a dozen
ancient artefacts from a private American collector. The items relate to the
prehistoric civilization in Thailand's northeastern province of Udon Thani.
Thai culture minister Vira Rojpojchanarat said the country has been gathering
evidence to make claims over other items, including works in a number of US
museums.
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