Egypt
Egyptian Gazette
- Attempt To Steal Pharaonic Artifact In Aswan Foiled
Ahram Online Archaeologists and guards at Gabal Al-Silsila archaeological site, 20 kilometres north of Kom Ombo city in Aswan, succeeded in catching a group of thieves who in full view had tried to remove King Meneptah’s stelae from its original...
- The Post-revolution State Of Egypt's Heritage
Al Ahram Weekly (Nevine El-Aref) The 25 January Revolution seems to have cast the Pharaohs' curse over the antiquities and museums sector in Egypt, which has seen more than its share of bad luck in the past nine months. The early days of the uprising...
- 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 Tombs Of King Tut’s High Officials Open To The Public
drhawass.com (Zahi Hawass) Dr. Zahi Hawass the Minister of State for Antiquities will open 7 tombs in the New Kingdom Cemetery in South Saqqara for tourism for the first time. This site contains the famous tomb of Maya, who was the treasurer of King Tut,...
- 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...
Egypt
Saqqara gets a security upgrade
Egyptian Gazette
The guards at the Saqqara Pyramids have cast aside their wooden sticks in favour of loaded guns.
The Government has beefed up security in historic sites to protect them from theft after the January 25 Revolution.
This change in security philosophy has been prompted by the constant pillaging of antiquities there over the past four months.
Encouraged by the mysterious disappearance of policemen on January 28, the antiquity thieves went into action in broad daylight. Their haul was huge, including the contents of royal tombs, which they badly damaged in the process of pillaging them.
Saqqara was the final resting place for the dead in the New and Late Kingdom (1539 to 1069 BC).
The new security philosophy was announced by Egypt’s chief archaeologist, the Minister for Archaeological Affairs Zahi Hawass, during his opening of six royal cemeteries from the New and Late Kingdom.
Hawas disclosed that more than 17,000 guards deployed at major archaeological sites across the country will be equipped with loaded guns. Veteran instructors from the Ministry of Interior will give the guards, known as ghafir (sentries) intensive training.
- Attempt To Steal Pharaonic Artifact In Aswan Foiled
Ahram Online Archaeologists and guards at Gabal Al-Silsila archaeological site, 20 kilometres north of Kom Ombo city in Aswan, succeeded in catching a group of thieves who in full view had tried to remove King Meneptah’s stelae from its original...
- The Post-revolution State Of Egypt's Heritage
Al Ahram Weekly (Nevine El-Aref) The 25 January Revolution seems to have cast the Pharaohs' curse over the antiquities and museums sector in Egypt, which has seen more than its share of bad luck in the past nine months. The early days of the uprising...
- 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 Tombs Of King Tut’s High Officials Open To The Public
drhawass.com (Zahi Hawass) Dr. Zahi Hawass the Minister of State for Antiquities will open 7 tombs in the New Kingdom Cemetery in South Saqqara for tourism for the first time. This site contains the famous tomb of Maya, who was the treasurer of King Tut,...
- 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...