After 21 years tucked away inside a Rotterdam flat, a priceless 18th century crown is finally being repatriated to Ethiopia with the help of a Dutch art detective. For more than two decades, the crown has been guarded by Dutch-Ethiopian national Sirak Asfaw in a secret location in his Netherlands home. A former refugee, Sirak fled Ethiopia during the “Red Terror” purges in the 1970s. He unexpectedly became the guardian of the crown in April 1998, after one of his guests left behind a suitcase. One of Ethiopia's most important religious artefacts, the crown is one of only 20 created and is one of the most valuable of those.

Source: Ethiopian News October 02, 2019 15:00 UTC