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Summary A Cairo teenager found a priceless statue of Pharaoh Akhenaton near a garbage bin after it had been stolen from the Egyptian Museum during anti-regime protests, Egypt's antiquities chief said on Thursday.
The museums world renowned collection was burgled and several artifacts went missing last month, including statues of King Tutankhamun and Pharaoh Akhenaton.A 16-year-old protester found the sculpture near a rubbish bin in Tahrir Square, antiquities chief Zahi Hawass said.He took the statue home, where his uncle Sabri Abdelrahman, a professor at the American University in Cairo, recognized the piece and returned it to authorities.Akhenaton was a ruler of the 13th Dynasty. The statue is one of the most beautiful statues of Akhenaton, which highlights the skill of Egyptian artists at the time, said Egyptian Museum director Tarek al-Awadi.The statue would be restored before going back on display in the museum.
