An administrative court in Cairo was on Thursday due to consider a request to repatriate the famous 3,300-year bust of ancient Egyptian Queen Nefertiti from Germany, local reports said.
Egyptian lawyer Nabil Fazee has filed a lawsuit against Germany to return the painted limestone statue of Nefertiti, which is currently on display in Berlin’s Neues Museum.
The iconic statue was stolen in 1912 by German archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt, head the German archaeologicial mission, and remains one of Egypt's top plundered artefacts.
Fazee's lawsuit is based on Article 49 of Egypt's 2014 Constitution, which affirms the state's commitment to safeguarding, restoring and recovering the country's treasures.
Queen Nefertiti was the wife of ancient pharaoh King Akhenaten (1353–1336 BC) the "heretic pharaoh" who was the first recorded monotheist on earth, archaeologist Sherif el-Sabban told The Cairo Post.
The 50 centimetre high bust is very well preserved with a symmetrical face and weighs 19 kilogrammes.
Nefertiti is portrayed with her elegant facial features held proud and high on a delicate neck, wearing a blue crown with a golden diadem band along with a broad collar adorned with a floral pattern.
Nefertiti, whose name means “the beautiful one approaches" may be the mother of boy pharoah Tutankhamun, who succeeded Akhenaten.
.jpg)
