It is ours

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THE MUMMY mask of Ka-Nefer-Nefer, one of the most beautiful 19th Dynasty pieces ever to be found in Saqqara, is now exhibited in St Louis Art Museum (SLAM) in the United States. For the last eight years it has been the museum's chief attraction and now Egypt is calling for its return claiming it was illegally smuggled out of the country some time in the 20th century.

Was it in fact stolen and how was it smuggled out of Egypt -- if indeed it was? How did it happen, and what is its future? These are the questions that are being hotly debated between the Supreme Council of Antiquities and international Egyptologists on the one hand, and the SLAM's board of directors on the other.

Zahi Hawass talks to Nevine El-Aref about the legal, ethical and moral issues involved, and demands the immediate return of the mask. "If SLAM does not comply immediately, we will contact Interpol and start legal proceedings," he said.

(see Whose mask is it, anyway?)