The crown of the XVIII century was returned to Ethiopia

A resident of the Netherlands, Sirak Asfaw, who moved here from Ethiopia in 1978 to escape the red terror of the Communist regime, returned a unique artifact to his homeland. More than twenty years ago, he got the crown of the XVIII century with the image of Jesus Christ and his disciples. There are about 20 such items that priests wore during ceremonies.

In 1974, a military dictatorship broke out in Ethiopia, which led to mass repression. Thousands of people died, many of those who later fled to the Netherlands stayed in Sirak Asfaw apartment. In 1998, one of the refugees brought a crown in a suitcase. Sirak Asfaw was loyal to his country, He decided to keep the artifact so that later, when the opportunity arose, he could transport it back to his homeland.

In 2018, after the settlement of the conflict with Eritrea, Sirak Asfaw began actively looking for ways to return the crown. He turned to the researcher Arthur brand, a connoisseur of world art, for help. The authenticity of the item was confirmed, after which the Dutch authorities transported it to Ethiopia on a government plane. Experts estimated the crown at 40-50 thousand euros.