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Al-Ahram Weekly 8 - 14 July 1999 Issue No. 437 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 8 - 14 July 1999 Issue No. 437
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Features Focus Books Travel Living Sports Time Out Chronicles People Cartoons Letters Digging carefully
By Nevine El-ArefThe construction of the terminal of the Qabbari bridge in Alexandria has been the subject of controversy for months because archaeologists were worried it could damage a Graeco-Roman cemetery below it, reports Nevine El-Aref. But now a plan has been approved to resolve the problem.
Construction of the two kilometre-long bridge, which will facilitate the movement of goods to the Alexandria harbour, was begun in 1992. It continued without much difficulty until work moved to Abdel-Qader Hamza Street, a densely-populated slum area. It was then that antiquities officials woke up to the fact that the area where the last stage of the bridge would be completed was an important archaeological site, where more than 37 ancient cemeteries had been unearthed.
In collaboration with UNESCO, the permanent committee of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) prepared a new plan to resolve the quarrel between antiquities officials, who want to excavate, and municipal officials, who want construction to go ahead.
"This is a national project that cannot be put on hold any longer," said Gaballa Ali Gaballa, secretary-general of the SCA. "The new plan takes into consideration the rich archaeological value of the site and also the national gains from the project, which will cost LE300 million."
The plan is to extend the curve of the last stage of the bridge to reach a point near Alexandria harbour and remove all buildings which hinder construction, Gaballa explained. The curve will be 2.4 metres above the archaeological area. The site will be covered with a layer of sand during the bridge's construction. After completion, the site below the bridge will be excavated to reveal what, according to Mervat Seifeddin, the site inspector, is believed to be the City of the Dead, mentioned by the ancient Greek historian Strabo, who visited Egypt in 30 BC.
According to Mohamed El-Saghir, head of the Pharaonic department of the SCA, drills will be used in constructing the columns supporting the bridge, in order to protect the artefacts below and keep possible damage to a minimum.
Gaballa said that Alexandria Governor Mohamed Abdel-Salam Mahgoub had promised to evacuate the residential area, one kilometre long and four wide, on the eastern side of the bridge. The area will then be turned over to the SCA to resume excavations.
The area in which the tombs are believed to be located extends to the east, west, south and north of the bridge, Gaballa said. It may even extend to the seashore. "Every time a tomb is unearthed, the discovery leads to another tomb," he added.
Each tomb has two or three chambers, and many of them have inscriptions on their walls. One of the major discoveries is a tomb that includes a coffin shaped like a bed, commonly known as the wedding bed. A groom is supposed to be buried inside. On the ceiling is a representation of Hathor, the goddess of love.
Ahmed Abdel-Fattah, head of Alexandria's Graeco-Roman museum, said the site is believed to contain previously-unknown information about the funerary rituals of the Hellenic period.
Gaballa argued that the controversy over the Qabbari bridge is part of a chain of conflicts between urban development and the preservation of antiquities. "Wherever you dig in Egypt, there is always a possibility that antiquities will be found," he said.
