Hands off Tut’s head

THE Egyptian embassy in London requested that Britain prevent the planned sale by Christie’s of an ancient sculpture representing King Tutankhamun’s head and return it to Egypt, Cairo said.

Christie’s has announced that the brown quartzite head of the pharaoh – measuring 28.5cm high and dated at more than 3000 years old – would take place on July 4.

It expected the sale, from the Resandro Collection – one of the world’s “most renowned private collections of Egyptian art” – to fetch more than £4 million ($A7.3 million).