Egypt
The recent presentation by Caroline Simpson of the state of archaeology in Egypt has taken back a number of people though many realized the fate of the Qurna village was sealed a number of years ago but there was however a true belief that at least a few of the most historic buildings would stay, not to be and in came the bulldozers.
Some are pleased by the loss as the village did represent itself as a den of thieves that has supplied museums around the world with huge quantities of antiquities though larger than this all villages contain the good the bad and the ugly. Over the decades Egyptian laws have changed making the traditional work of the Qurnawi searching for artifacts to sell harder.
As laws played their part the number of quality artifacts coming from the tombs of the nobles diminished, though some gold jewelry was found in recent years. This is the exception no longer the rule and the life's work of the Qurnawi had to change now that the resource has dwindled and opportunity to sell antiquities forbidden.
The village may have in some minds been a leftover remnant of Egypt's colonial period and this may have been ultimately what sealed Qurna's fate.
The avenue of sphinxes would be a joke if it was not so historically tragic and again the bulldozers these being the archaeological practices of Dr. Zahi Hawass and his Minister Farouk Hosni. The rubble that represents the remains of the avenue is perhaps a fitting find for Egypt's Ministry of Culture and its Supreme council of antiquities who are trying to recreate the ancient history of the site.
In the end the concern that a decade or so from know when Minister Hosni and Dr. Hawass have finished their duties to the Egyptian state that many archaeological sites including the avenue may be irretrievably ruined by their actions. Certainly that decade has passed for Qurna!
Caroline Simpson's presentation
- Protests Turn Against Minister Hawass
Bikya Masr Egypt’s Zahi Hawass, the man who has become synonymous with Egyptology, known for his cowboy had wearing, has sparked the ire of Egyptians in recent days, with protests chanting for him to step down from his post atop the country’s Supreme...
- Discoveries Along Avenue Of Sphinxes
Discovery News (Rossella Lorenzi) With photo of Nilometer Egyptian archaeologists carrying routine excavations at the so-called “Avenue of Sphinxes,” have unearthed the remains of a 5th century Egyptian Christian church and a "nilometer," a structure...
- Bulldozers Have Moved In To Demolish Houses In Qurna
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6202342.stm"Bulldozers have moved in to demolish houses in the Egyptian village of Qurna which sits on top of dozens of pharaonic tombs in Luxor. The Egyptian government is determined to move the 3,200 families of...
- The Avenue Of Mice
This is a report critical of the restoration of the avenue of sphinxes by the Supreme council of antiquities. The avenue restoration has caused evictions of people living in homes on top of the avenue. The residents have been offered new homes built far...
- Antiquities Laws Tightened
The Egyptian parliament has given in to most of the Culture ministries suggestions in tightening the antiquities laws to get rid of loop holes. Last week both the minister of culture as well as the vice minister threatened to resign if the proposed loosening...
Egypt
The Showman and the Archaeologist
The recent presentation by Caroline Simpson of the state of archaeology in Egypt has taken back a number of people though many realized the fate of the Qurna village was sealed a number of years ago but there was however a true belief that at least a few of the most historic buildings would stay, not to be and in came the bulldozers.
Some are pleased by the loss as the village did represent itself as a den of thieves that has supplied museums around the world with huge quantities of antiquities though larger than this all villages contain the good the bad and the ugly. Over the decades Egyptian laws have changed making the traditional work of the Qurnawi searching for artifacts to sell harder.
As laws played their part the number of quality artifacts coming from the tombs of the nobles diminished, though some gold jewelry was found in recent years. This is the exception no longer the rule and the life's work of the Qurnawi had to change now that the resource has dwindled and opportunity to sell antiquities forbidden.
The village may have in some minds been a leftover remnant of Egypt's colonial period and this may have been ultimately what sealed Qurna's fate.
The avenue of sphinxes would be a joke if it was not so historically tragic and again the bulldozers these being the archaeological practices of Dr. Zahi Hawass and his Minister Farouk Hosni. The rubble that represents the remains of the avenue is perhaps a fitting find for Egypt's Ministry of Culture and its Supreme council of antiquities who are trying to recreate the ancient history of the site.
In the end the concern that a decade or so from know when Minister Hosni and Dr. Hawass have finished their duties to the Egyptian state that many archaeological sites including the avenue may be irretrievably ruined by their actions. Certainly that decade has passed for Qurna!
Caroline Simpson's presentation
- Protests Turn Against Minister Hawass
Bikya Masr Egypt’s Zahi Hawass, the man who has become synonymous with Egyptology, known for his cowboy had wearing, has sparked the ire of Egyptians in recent days, with protests chanting for him to step down from his post atop the country’s Supreme...
- Discoveries Along Avenue Of Sphinxes
Discovery News (Rossella Lorenzi) With photo of Nilometer Egyptian archaeologists carrying routine excavations at the so-called “Avenue of Sphinxes,” have unearthed the remains of a 5th century Egyptian Christian church and a "nilometer," a structure...
- Bulldozers Have Moved In To Demolish Houses In Qurna
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6202342.stm"Bulldozers have moved in to demolish houses in the Egyptian village of Qurna which sits on top of dozens of pharaonic tombs in Luxor. The Egyptian government is determined to move the 3,200 families of...
- The Avenue Of Mice
This is a report critical of the restoration of the avenue of sphinxes by the Supreme council of antiquities. The avenue restoration has caused evictions of people living in homes on top of the avenue. The residents have been offered new homes built far...
- Antiquities Laws Tightened
The Egyptian parliament has given in to most of the Culture ministries suggestions in tightening the antiquities laws to get rid of loop holes. Last week both the minister of culture as well as the vice minister threatened to resign if the proposed loosening...