Old Photo of Sennefer and his Wife

Nefertiti Stays Put

A very good article on Dr. Hawass and his request for Berlin's bust of Nefertiti to visit Egypt (preferably permanently). The article claims the Western media has made the doctor look bad. No doubt the Western media has noticed Dr. Hawass' charm.

Hard not to notice when you're calling a dignitary "stupid" or telling a respected archaeologist to "shut up" in front of cameras!

A Call to Tourists

This article from Art Daily is on a rally, one of many being held across Egypt, to call tourists to come back to visit Egypt.

The State of Egypt

Here is an article on the state of the artifacts damaged and stolen from the Egyptian museum. The article also talks about the state of the archaeological sites around Egypt, including tombs that were broken into during the recent revolution.

Excavations at Saqqara (1906-1907)

I have just found this online book by James Edward Quibell on excavations at Saqqara at the turn of the last century, and thought I would pass it on. Hopefully, it is a good read.

Corruption at the SCA

This interview with Dr. Zahi Hawass has the head of the antiquities service talking about allegations of corruption under Dr. Hawass' rule over at the Supreme Council of Antiquities.

The State of the Museum

This statement from Dr. Zahi Hawass is informative about the possible events relating to the robbery of the Cairo museum and the people who committed the crime. Dr. Hawass also talks about the restoration of damaged objects and the ongoing inventory of the museum's collection to see what artifacts are missing.

The Fate of Dr. Hawass?

This is a good article on the present climate in which Dr. Zahi Hawass, head of Egypt's antiquities, finds himself, particularly in relation to his connection to the deposed Mubarak regime, of which he was one of its ministers.

Has the Statuette of Akhenaten been Found?

There are reports out today that the limestone statuette of the heretic king Akhenaten, 1332-1336 bc, has been found next to a garbage can in Tahrir Square. Unfortunately, there are no photos of it as of yet. The statuette is the most important of the objects believed stolen from the Cairo museum during the break-in of the museum two weeks ago.

The condition of the fragile statuette has not been reported.

Nasty Image of Zahi Hawass

This article is very nasty and makes many serious claims about Dr. Zahi Hawass, including that Dr. Hawass takes bribes and worse. I do not know what to make of the article and am not thrilled about the source, but here it is anyway.

More Objects Found

Here we have a heartening report from Dr. Hawass on the recovery of more damaged artifacts found in and around the museum. Among the artifacts found is Yuya's heart scarab and one of his shabtis.

The Rosetta Stone in the Cairo Museum

As the officials at the Cairo museum pick Yuya's heart scarab off the ground outside the museum, the time to reflect on what has happened to the museum and to its exhibits is here. Questionable press releases have come from Dr. Zahi Hawass' office, and under horrible circumstances, and no one can envy Dr. Hawass' position now.

The center of the robbery appears to be based on the Amarna collection, with casual damage to the Vitrines without any sense of the objects inside, merely vandalism, including a four-thousand-year-old boat which was damaged for no reason.

It is not unreasonable to fear that much of the vandalism in the museum might have been created in order to smoke-screen a planned robbery of the Amarna collection. Objects that have no value on the open market but may well possess great value for organized crime?

The painting by Vincent Van Gogh, stolen this past year from the Mouhmud Khalil Museum put on display to the world that the museum was inadequately protected and that this may be true of the rest of Egypt's museums and now Cairo.

At first, we were told that a thousand people had stormed the museum next. We were told that no, it was probably 1, 4, or 9 amateurs, including one who became injured during the break-in. Certainly very early on in the immediate days after the 29th of January when Dr. Hawass was reporting that one case had been opened he had to have known that the statue of Akhenaten was not where it was supposed to be and that objects were missing but instead of releasing this information to the public where it may have helped in their immediate recovery Dr. Hawass chose to wait two weeks for an assessment of damages.

Even with the turmoil outside the museum and the great size of the museum, it could not have taken two weeks for the staff to search the museum, including the rooms which were locked and not visited by the thieves! Slowly, the damages come out and the pressure rises on Dr. Hawass to prove that Egypt's museums are safe enough for Berlin's bust of Nefertiti or the Rosetta stone to visit.

The slow release of information is only dragging out the damages and making the situation worse, calling into question whether it is, in fact, time for Dr. Hawass to retire or be removed!

Dr. Hawass, what of the royal mummies, and how is Ramesses II?

Cairo's Missing Artifacts

Dr. Hawass is reporting that several objects are indeed missing from the Cairo museum, including statuettes of Tutankhamun, as well as eleven shabtis belonging to Yuya, as well as Yuya's heart scarab. Also missing is the famous limestone statuette of Akhenaten with an offering tray.

Liberation Day

Finally, the long-running dictator Hosni Mubarak has resigned, and after 18 days, the Egyptian people are liberated! Long may the Egyptian people live in peace and freedom!

Damaged Artifacts Repaired

This article from Al Ahram is a good overview of the condition of Egypt's archaeological sites, including the Cairo Museum and the artifacts damaged and restored in that institution's laboratory.

Global Day of Action

This Saturday, February 1,2, Amnesty International is calling for a global day of support for the Egyptian revolution. Please wear black, red, or white, the colors of the Egyptian flag.

Chasing Hype!

This article is an overview of recent events in the Egyptian revolution, including assumptions made wherein which no proof was presented.

More on Restorations

We have another article on the damage caused to artifacts in the Cairo museum, though this article seems to have a little more information on the mummies damaged.

Restoring Vandalism

This article from Art Daily has a couple of interesting points on the objects damaged at the Cairo museum during the break-in. The article also has a picture with good detail.

Restoring Items Damaged in Cairo Museum

This is from Dr. Hawass's site on the state of the Cairo museum and other sites around Egypt. He also takes the time to throw his support behind President Mubarak.

Cairo Museum

I picked up on this article from the Huffington Post because of the nice pictures of objects from the Cairo museum included. The article is not entirely new, but at the time, I found posting it here was inappropriate. Love the picture of Senu's mask.

Maya's Tomb Still Sealed

This article from National Geographic is on the condition of the monuments of Saqqara, which includes a mention by the author that the rumors of Tutankhamun's wet nurse Maya's tomb had been damaged are untrue, and the entrance to her tomb remains bricked up.

Egyptian Monarchy Averted

Gamal Mubarak, who was widely believed to be and was being groomed to replace his father as president, has, along with other officials of Egypt's ruling party, the NDP, been forced to resign. Now the sooner that President Mubarak goes, the sooner Egypt can return to prosperity and Egyptian's can get back to work.

Dr. Zahi Hawass Disclaims report of Damages at Saqqara

In a press release today, Dr. Zahi Hawass gives a rundown of his feelings and of the archaeological sites under his guardianship. He states that the rumours of damage at Saqqara are untrue that if there had been damage there, he would know. He also talks about the Cairo museum and its situation.

Have Looters Destroyed the Tomb of Maya?

An archaeologist present at the tomb of Tutankhamun's wet nurse, Maya at Saqqara, describes the tomb as being destroyed by as many as two hundred looters who were digging illegally at the site, taking advantage of the chaos of the recent Egyptian revolution.

Is it Time for Mubarak to be Arrested?

President Mubarak has promised he will leave in the fall, though I fear that if the crowds were to disperse that the dictator may be convinced to change his mind. Thirty years of oppression of the Egyptian people is not an acceptable means of stability, and the country's monuments are secondary to the well-being of the people.

Criminals always take advantage of unrest to do their deeds,  including damaging the artifacts which represent their forefathers' achievements and worst even their forefathers' earthly remains, but they should not be allowed to distract the rightful course of dignity.

If Mubarak will not leave, then maybe the time has come for his arrest in the name of restoring order. Reporters are being attacked and kept away from filming the battle in Tahrir Square, an event which no doubt Mubarak does not want the world to witness.
Hopefully, 
The international community will support the Egyptian people in their leaderless revolution, regardless of whether they win the day or not, and force Mubarak and his cronies out.

ACT NOW

Amnesty International Worker Detained

I received this Email from Larry Cox the Executive Director of Amnesty International it reads in part.

"Our hearts nearly stopped this morning when we heard the news - one of our own, a member of the Amnesty International staff, was detained by police in Cairo after the Hisham Mubarak Law Center was taken over by military police.

Our colleague was taken along with at least three others, including a delegate from Human Rights Watch. We do not know their current whereabouts.

The ongoing crackdown on civil society in the wake of the protests in Egypt is appalling. It is essential that human rights monitors be allowed the freedom to do their crucial work at this time of crisis. Egypt must release these individuals immediately.

Please, we need you to speak up with the voice of the international human rights movement:

Tell Egyptian officials to release Amnesty International's staff member and all human rights monitors."

Who Sent the Thugs?

The Damages

Here are a number of different sources on damage that occurred to the antiquities during the recent Egyptian revolution. President Mubarak wishes to step down later in the year, but one would fear that if he doesn't go now, he is not going anywhere in the fall.

First is Dr. Hawass, whose new office is a farce and not worth dignifying a mention, and some images from Art Daily of the Cairo museum under guard, and a rundown of sites around Egypt and how they have fared.