SA woman fears pharaoh's curse

2005-02-21 13:26

Cairo - A South African woman and owner of a piece of jewellery believed stolen from the tomb of King Tutankhamen has asked the government in Cairo for help in breaking King Tut's curse after two members of her family suffered untimely deaths.

In a letter to the ministry of culture, the owner of an antique scarab attributed the tragedies that befell her and a previous owner of the artefact to the so-called curse, a ministry official told the Cairo daily Al Akhbar.

Several people linked to the 1922 discovery of King Tut's tomb have died mysteriously, giving rise to speculation about a pharaoh's curse.

The scarab reportedly made its way to the shores of South Africa after a sailor passing through Egypt won it at a gambling table. Shortly after giving the item to his daughter, he was lost at sea. Then, just days after his body washed ashore, the young woman died of leukaemia.

The sailor's wife, believing the item had brought her bad luck, gave it to the woman who now possesses it. The current owner lost her own daughter to leukaemia soon after taking possession of the scarab.

Upon hearing about the mysterious deaths of several people involved in the discovery the tomb of King Tut, the woman found a buyer for the scarab.

But tragedy was to strike again. The day before the transaction her husband suddenly passed away.

Plunged into depression, she sought information about the traditions surrounding King Tut and came to believe that repatriating the scarab was the only way to break the alleged curse. She offered it to the culture ministry.

Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities chief Zahi Hawass said his organisation would send a delegation to South Africa to bring the scarab back to Egypt.

King Tut, estimated to have died at the age of 18, ruled between 1319 and 1309BC during the 18th Dynasty. - Sapa-dpa

- SAPA