Ark of the Covenant - also known as Ark of the Testimony

Ark of the Covenant references (NIV links):

During the Exodus from Egypt, Moses & the Jews were instructed to build a wooden box overlayed with gold. It represented the presence of God and was designed to travel with the Tabernacle, the tent that acted as the temple of God before Solomon built the physical Temple. It contained holy items including the scrolls of the Torah (known then as the Testimony). The Ark briefly was captured by the Philistines who eventually returned it after many near the Ark grew sick. The sicknesses persisted until the Ark was returned to king David. The whereabouts of the Ark today are unknown.