Prior to the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie (1930–74), antiquities and art treasures were protected by the state on a case-by-case basis with the direct interest of the emperor. The imperial administrations also contributed to the renovation and restoration of much religious heritage. Even though Ethiopian cultural heritage came to the attention of the international community in the late 1860s due to the fieldwork of General Napier’s surveyors at Adulis, it took another 100 years for Ethiopia to pass any form of cultural heritage legislation. In 1966, the Ethiopian imperial government issued the Antiquities Proclamation to provide for the protection and preservation of antiquities. In 1966, Ethiopian Antiquities Administration was established. In 1969, to regulate export of antiquities, E