Egypt
Aol News (Hamza Hendawi)
- In Egypt Turmoil, Thieves Hunt Pharaonic Treasures
Ahram Online Google / Associated Press Illegal digs near ancient temples and in isolated desert sites have swelled a staggering 100-fold over the past 16 months since a popular uprising toppled Hosni Mubarak's 29-year regime and security fell apart...
- Mexicans Arrested For Stealing Egyptian Antiquities In Chile
Latin American Herald Tribune Two Mexicans were arrested when they were caught trying to steal priceless Egyptian antiquities from an exhibition in Chile’s capital, police said Sunday. Jose Garcia Nielsen, 24, and Alberto Tinajo Cazares, 22, were caught...
- The Status Of Egyptian Antiquities Today
drhawass.com (Zahi Hawass) A distressing list of problems, the most open official statement to date. When the revolution began on January 25, 2011, and through its first week, there were only a few reports of looting: at Qantara East in the Sinai, and...
- Cairo Storehose Broken Into On Monday
Al Masry Al Youm Around 60 thieves broke into the Selim Hassan artifact storehouse near the Pyramids on Monday, said Minister of Antiquities Zahi Hawass. Hawass told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the army left the location when police were re-deployed, having...
- Clashes Re Government Plans For Open Air Museum
International Herald Tribune Police detained 25 Luxor residents yesterday for questioning about their involvement in clashes with police during a protest against government attempts to move the group from their homes to make room for an open-air museum,...
Egypt
More heritage management problems in Egypt
Aol News (Hamza Hendawi)
The looting is part of a crime wave that has gripped Egypt since Jan. 28, when the police mysteriously disappeared from most of the country following deadly clashes with the anti-government protesters. The army was called out to restore order, but it has been unable to fully take on a policing role.
The police have yet to fully retake the streets, leaving a security vacuum in which criminals, including several thousand inmates who escaped prisons, are operating with impunity in parts of the country. The police force is widely hated for years of abuse against Egyptians and because of its brutal crackdown on protesters. Only about 50 percent of the police force is thought to have returned to work and there are reports that hundreds of officers want to quit.
Archaeology sites have chronically been a soft target for thieves because of their isolated location and the relative ease with which lowly paid guards can be bribed to look the other way.
- In Egypt Turmoil, Thieves Hunt Pharaonic Treasures
Ahram Online Google / Associated Press Illegal digs near ancient temples and in isolated desert sites have swelled a staggering 100-fold over the past 16 months since a popular uprising toppled Hosni Mubarak's 29-year regime and security fell apart...
- Mexicans Arrested For Stealing Egyptian Antiquities In Chile
Latin American Herald Tribune Two Mexicans were arrested when they were caught trying to steal priceless Egyptian antiquities from an exhibition in Chile’s capital, police said Sunday. Jose Garcia Nielsen, 24, and Alberto Tinajo Cazares, 22, were caught...
- The Status Of Egyptian Antiquities Today
drhawass.com (Zahi Hawass) A distressing list of problems, the most open official statement to date. When the revolution began on January 25, 2011, and through its first week, there were only a few reports of looting: at Qantara East in the Sinai, and...
- Cairo Storehose Broken Into On Monday
Al Masry Al Youm Around 60 thieves broke into the Selim Hassan artifact storehouse near the Pyramids on Monday, said Minister of Antiquities Zahi Hawass. Hawass told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the army left the location when police were re-deployed, having...
- Clashes Re Government Plans For Open Air Museum
International Herald Tribune Police detained 25 Luxor residents yesterday for questioning about their involvement in clashes with police during a protest against government attempts to move the group from their homes to make room for an open-air museum,...