Egypt
Short survey - Should the retrieval of Egyptian antiquities be a government priority?
Al Masry Al Youm (Heba Helmy)
After the theft last month of Van Gogh’s famous "Poppy Flowers" painting--valued at US$55 million--from Cairo's Mahmoud Khalil Museum, concerns have arisen about the relative safety of the country’s precious artworks and antiquities. Al-Masry Al-Youm hit the streets of the capital to ask: Should the retrieval of Egyptian antiquities be a government priority?
Saad Razaq, lawyer: "Reclaiming antiquities is a very important step, which should have been taken years ago. Our monuments constitute our heritage, so the government should exert more effort to protect them. I feel sorry when I travel abroad and see how our monuments are appreciated by foreigners, while here in Egypt we don’t pay much attention to their historical value."
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Q&a With Archaeologists Syndicate Head Fayza Haikal
Al Masry Al Youm (Ola El-Saket) 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...
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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...
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Alexandria's Only Jewish Monument Eyed For Restoration
Al Masry Al Youm Authorities in Alexandria are preparing plans for the restoration of the city’s only Jewish monument. The synagogue on Nabi Daniel street is one of Egypt’s most important Jewish historical sites. The scheme will be carried out by...
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11 Sentenced Over Museum Theft
Bikya Masr (Joseph Mayton) An Egyptian court late Tuesday sentenced 11 culture ministry officials to three years in prison over their negligence in the theft of a Vincent van Gogh painting from a Cairo museum. Despite the guilty verdict, all have been...
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More Re Steps To Improve Security In Egyptian Museums
ABC News Egypt has pledged to implement strict measures to protect its cultural and archaeological riches after the theft of a Vincent Van Gogh masterpiece in broad daylight from an unguarded Cairo museum. Antiquities supremo Zahi Hawass says alarm systems...
Egypt