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Al-Ahram Weekly 19 - 25 August 1999 Issue No. 443 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 19 - 25 August 1999 Issue No. 443
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Profile Travel Living Sports Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Shipwreck to stay
MINISTER of Culture Farouk Hosni has denied that the newly-discovered shipwreck of Napoleon's fleet, found in Abu-Qir bay in Alexandria, will be given away or shared with any other party. Gaballa Ali Gaballa, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), said there was no request from a French mission to share the antiquities discovered in the shipwreck. He also said there were three foreign missions working in Alexandria searching for underwater treasures. Two French teams are currently in the eastern harbour and in Qait bay, an Italian mission is on Nelson Island while a US team is scouring Se'adana Island on the Red Sea coast. "All the missions are working according to the Egyptian antiquities law," Gaballa said.Ramses' new home
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL area of Mit Rahina will soon be developed in preparation for the arrival of Ramses' statue which will be transported from its current location in Ramses Square. Gaballa Ali Gaballa, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), said the development will include transforming Mit Rahina into a touristic site which will witness the reconstruction of buildings, restoring the monuments exhibited in a museum built for Ramses, installing a new lighting system and building a new entrance gate. Other facilities to be provided will be toilets, a cafeteria, a parking area and a ticket kiosk.The unfinished
THE SITE where the incomplete obelisk in Aswan lies will be turned into an open-air museum. Gaballa Ali Gaballa, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), said the restoration of all monuments in the area will be included in the museum around which a fence will be erected for protection. A ticket kiosk, toilets, a cafeteria and a parking lot will also be built. The museum will display a collection of unfinished statues and incomplete artifacts and will have Fatimid pieces and a Nubian display at its entrance. A special lighting system will be installed in the museum for nighttime viewing. Security will be taken into account; an electronic gate will be installed at the museum's entrance.Saving Bahensi's tomb
A RESTORATION project for the tomb of Bahensi, the high priest of the god Amun, began early last month. The tomb is in the Ain Shams area, the religious capital of Egypt in ancient times. Mohamed El-Saghir, head of the Pharaonic department at the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), said that the tomb, discovered six years ago by an Egyptian team, was suffering from underground water which had affected its base and walls.Compiled by Niveen El-Aref
