Egypt
Al Masry Al Youm (Ali Abdel Mohsen)
- Interview With Archaeologists Syndicate Head Fayza Haikal
Egypt Independent After years of rejection by the Mubarak regime on the grounds that Egyptian antiquities are an issue of “national sovereignty,” the first Egyptian Archaeologists Syndicate was launched last week; and Fayza Haikal, Egyptology professor...
- What’s Next For Egypt’s Artifacts?
New York Observer (Dan Duray) In late January, during the protests that eventually led to the revolution in Egypt, the news broke that looters had raided the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, current home to some of the most impressive artifacts of early human...
- Can Egypt Protect Its Heritage?
drhawass.com (Zahi Hawass) As those of you who have followed my website know, there was some looting and land grabbing, and even the Egyptian Museum was vandalized and robbed. At one point, I myself resigned in protest when I felt that the authorities...
- Egyptian Museum Closed Following Clashes
Al Masry Al Youm Authorities closed the Egyptian Museum on Saturday after at least two demonstrators were killed when the military dispersed a peaceful sit-in in Tahrir Square. The demonstrators were demanding the prosecution of ousted president Hosni...
- Museums Under Threat?
It is very difficult to get a clear view of what is going on in Egypt at the moment, but for the most part heritage seems to have been clear of threat. Exceptions are a report on Al Masry Al Youm of an Alexandria museum in flames, but I haven't seen...
Egypt
From Egyptian Museum to 'torture chamber'
Al Masry Al Youm (Ali Abdel Mohsen)
This is an article about allegations that the military used the museum for interrogating and possibly torturing people they arrested in Tahrir Square during the revolution but there are also sections discussing the status of the museum in the eyes of Egyptians following these alleged events. There is also an interesting mention of multiple break-ins by looters, one/some after February 11th. Here's an excerpt:
Despite the testimonies of Sobhy and others, many refuse to believe that the armed forces are perpetuating the human rights abuses of the previous regime by imprisoning, torturing and humiliating protesters within the walls of the nation’s most prominent cultural landmark. But regardless of the extent of brutality allegedly taking place on its grounds, there is little doubt that the role of the Egyptian Museum has significantly shifted during the revolution, in a way that mirrors the complicated and at times contradictory nature of the current Egyptian situation.
“The museum is clearly very valuable, and precious, to the Egyptian people,” said Fayza Haikal, a professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo. This value, though, is double-edged. Immediately following the withdrawal of police forces, the museum was seen as a jackpot for looters, whose pilfering was largely prevented by a brigade of volunteer civilians forming a human shield around the building.
“The museum was looted more than once, especially after 28 January and 11 February. Luckily, most of what was stolen was retrieved, and all that remains missing is a few smaller artifacts," Haikal said.
“The fact that civilians took it upon themselves to defend the museum from looters is an indication of how valuable it is to Egyptians. Both in terms of our historic wealth, and as a cultural icon."
Haikal seems to be among a minority who do not think the museum’s status as a “symbol of the Egyptian people” will suffer in the face of allegations that the institution is currently doubling as a “torture camp.”
- Interview With Archaeologists Syndicate Head Fayza Haikal
Egypt Independent After years of rejection by the Mubarak regime on the grounds that Egyptian antiquities are an issue of “national sovereignty,” the first Egyptian Archaeologists Syndicate was launched last week; and Fayza Haikal, Egyptology professor...
- What’s Next For Egypt’s Artifacts?
New York Observer (Dan Duray) In late January, during the protests that eventually led to the revolution in Egypt, the news broke that looters had raided the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, current home to some of the most impressive artifacts of early human...
- Can Egypt Protect Its Heritage?
drhawass.com (Zahi Hawass) As those of you who have followed my website know, there was some looting and land grabbing, and even the Egyptian Museum was vandalized and robbed. At one point, I myself resigned in protest when I felt that the authorities...
- Egyptian Museum Closed Following Clashes
Al Masry Al Youm Authorities closed the Egyptian Museum on Saturday after at least two demonstrators were killed when the military dispersed a peaceful sit-in in Tahrir Square. The demonstrators were demanding the prosecution of ousted president Hosni...
- Museums Under Threat?
It is very difficult to get a clear view of what is going on in Egypt at the moment, but for the most part heritage seems to have been clear of threat. Exceptions are a report on Al Masry Al Youm of an Alexandria museum in flames, but I haven't seen...