The Egyptian government on Thursday announced its decision to close several more Egyptian museums following the theft of Vincent Van Gogh’s famous masterpiece, “Poppy Flowers,” from Cairo’s Mohamed Mahmoud Khalil Museum earlier this week.
Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni said in a statement that he had ordered the temporary closure of Cairo’s Ahmed Shawki Museum until its surveillance cameras and equipment had been assessed and upgraded.
Hosni also ordered the temporary closure of the Nubia Museum in Aswan, along with three art museums–the Seif Wanly, Mahmoud Said and Ceramic Museums–until their respective surveillance systems could be assessed.
The government has also established a number of technical committees, which, together with security agencies, plan to review the museums’ surveillance systems.
Van Gogh’s “Poppy Flowers,” valued at nearly US$55 million, was stolen on Saturday. Police are currently conducting investigations.