Anwar Sadat’s diplomatic passport was sold for $47,500 at a Texas auction house on Wednesday, causing anger and confusion. Anwar Sadat’s family has called for an investigation into the sale of his passport at a US auction house, arguing that it is part of the nation’s history. Dallas, Texas-based Heritage Auctions sold Sadat’s diplomatic passport for $47,500 on February 22.
As a member of parliament and the grandson of the late president, Kamai Sadat told Ahram that selling his grandfather’s passport would be an insult to the Egyptian people who love the late president. The passport’s journey to the auction house has been a mystery. According to Sadat, the president’s wife gave her husband’s belongings to the Library of Alexandria in northern Egypt after he died.
Ahmed Zayed, the library’s director, told the same talk show host on Saturday that the passport was not among the items. The auction page did not reveal the passport’s new owner. According to Heritage Auctions, the travel document has forty-eight pages and is unsigned. One 1974 visa stamp is on it. It was valid until March 18, 1981.
Former Egyptian army officer Anwar Sadat was president from 1970 until he was assassinated in 1981. Sadat represents the fight for independence for many Egyptians. By signing the Camp David Accords in 1978, he made peace with Israel after Egypt lost the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. In 1978, Sadat shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin for his diplomatic efforts.