Britain returns sacred treasure

A sacred treasure, plundered by British troops more than a century ago, has been returned to Ethiopia.

An amulet, worn by Emperor Tewodros II in 1868, was brought back to Ethiopia by one of the leading campaigners for the return of treasures plundered from the country. Richard Pankhurst, a Briton living in Ethiopia, travelled to the UK to receive the historic relic from a private collector.

“It is unique and the only one of its kind,” a delighted Prof Pankhurst told IRIN. “It is impossible to put a material value on it because there is nothing quite like it.”

Emperor Tewodros II wore the amulet – a lucky charm made of parchment with ancient religious Ge'ez writing on it - during the battle of Maqdala against the British in 1868. British troops stormed and pillaged the-then capital of Abyssinia during a mission to secure the release of two British envoys being held captive by Tewodros. The emperor shot himself rather than face defeat.

The amulet - whose return was orchestrated by the Association for the Return of Maqdala Ethiopian
Treasures (AFROMET) - will be displayed at the Institute of Ethiopian Studies in the capital Addis Ababa.

AFROMET also recently secured the return of a highly valued religious tabot. The artefact, which was found in a church in Scotland, is a representation of the Ark of the Covenant.

Prof Pankhurst, the vice chairman of AFROMET, argues that Britain has no right to hang on to the priceless treasures which are an integral part of Ethiopia's heritage.

By far the most valuable item plundered by the British troops is one of two copies of the Kebra Negast – Ethiopia’s holy book. It is currently in the British Library. The second copy was returned to Ethiopia while former emperor Haile Selassie was still on the throne.