 |
Al-Ahram Weekly 22 - 28 July 1999 Issue No. 439 
|
||
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
|
Al-Ahram Weekly 22 - 28 July 1999 Issue No. 439
|
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Features Focus Interview Travel Living Sports Time Out Chronicles People Cartoons Letters The rebirth of Hibis
By Nevine El-ArefAfter almost 50 years of indecision, the plan to save Hibis Temple in Kharga Oasis is finally moving ahead.
Last week, the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) signed a contract with the Arab Contractors Company on a 30-month project of Hibis Temple which aims to dismantle, reconstruct and conserve the temple.
"It is the second big salvage operation to take place in Egypt after the first one was executed in the 1960s for Nubia (Abu Simbel) temples," said Mohamed El-Saghir, head of the Pharaonic Department in the SCA.
He said the Hibis restoration and relocation project was postponed from the 1980s when the temple was declared off-limits to the public. "But now, the temple will be reborn in only 30 months."
The deterioration of the temple started in 1958 and some early restoration work was carried out. At that time, it was reported that the level of ground water in the oasis was rising and might endanger the temple.
In 1979, an effort was made to control subterranean water which had risen sharply as a result of irrigation projects in the surrounding area. A drainage channel was excavated and the former sacred lake of the temple was re-dug to contain the water. The idea provided no more than a temporary solution as the temple continued to be undermined by water seepage.
Columns tilted, cracks appeared and salts in the water seeping into the porous stone damaged the reliefs on the walls.
During the 1980s, a suggestion was made to physically remove the temple and reconstruct it on higher ground, but the proposal was not executed then.
"Starting the restoration project of Hibis Temple, to me, is like a dream come true," said Gaballa Ali Gaballa, secretary-general of the SCA. He said that the project aims to save the temple for posterity. The temple will be moved and rebuilt in a dry and rocky area 500 metres north of its present site and close to the main road.
A LE20 million project has been announced to restore the decaying Hibis Temple, at Kharga Oasis, to its former glory
photo: Khaled El-Fiqi
The site was chosen after careful consideration. It is near an ancient quarry, from which the restorers can take stones to replace those that are damaged.
To protect the temple from drainage and underground water and prevent leakage into the temple, insulation materials will be used as a protective layer between the ground and the foundation of the temple. About 200 trees will be grown around it as protection against wind. New lighting systems will be installed inside and outside the temple.
"Now the trials and tribulations of the temple are coming to an end," said Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni regarding the LE20 million project.
Necessary facilities will be provided in the area such as toilets, ticket kiosks and a small coffee-shop.
Hibis Temple is the best preserved temple in the Western Desert. It was built by King Darius I in the 27th Dynasty (525 BC). It was also used as a garrison until 330 BC. And it contains evidence of use in later periods, including the early Christian period. There are signs that it was used later by Muslim Pilgrims en route to Mecca.
The Western Desert is fast developing into a major tourist destination in addition to the Nile Valley. The restoration of Hibis temple should do much to increase this interest in the area.
