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Al-Ahram Weekly 24 Feb. - 1 March 2000 Issue No. 470 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 24 Feb. - 1 March 2000 Issue No. 470
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Focus Heritage Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Making history come alive
By Amira El-Noshokaty
The Pharaonic Village, the brainchild of the late Hassan Ragab, has proved to be a greater success than he ever imagined. Ragab's son, Abdel-Salam Ragab, who has run the enterprise since 1984, decided in recent years to expand the historical scope the village. First he established exhibits and museums that deal with specific aspects of the Pharaonic era, then he moved on to other periods of Egyptian history, covering both the ancient and modern. A replica of Tutankhamun's tomb was the first of these endeavours. This project was followed by museums on mummification and the Islamic era. Now, the Hellenistic museum has been opened which promises to be as popular as the others.
Located on Jacob's Island in the Nile to the south of Giza, the Pharaonic Village covers an area of 32 feddans. Alongside the museums on this site there is a working papyrus plantation -- the largest in the Middle East. Visitors to the village sail around the island viewing re-enactments of scenes familiar to those who have seen the pictures in ancient tombs. Among the most interesting are those demonstrating the era's arts and crafts.
After sailing around the island, the visitors disembark in front of the island's museums which, according to Abdel-Salam Ragab, were assigned to "in order to show the full scope of our civilisation".
Not surprisingly, the city of Alexandria and Alexander are central to the new Hellenistic museum. "Alexandria is the only truly cosmopolitan city in the world," said Ragab at the opening ceremony attended by Gaballa Ali Gaballa, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, the cultural attaches of Greece and Italy and other prominent figures. "Replicas of our miniature model of Alexander's Alexandria with the ancient lighthouse and the library will be given to Alexandria as a gift from the village," Ragab promised.
Dominating the entrance to the Hellenistic museum, which is located on the second floor of the main building, is a replica of a statue of Alexander the Great in Pharaonic attire, a work that artistically links the two great civilisations. Another focal point of the museum is a replica of a huge sarcophagus, which some believe to be that of the great warrior, upon which are scenes carved in high relief of Alexander in battle. The original is owned by Istanbul's archaeological museum. Adorning the walls of the room in which this exhibit is displayed are paintings depicting all phases of Alexander's life. Some of these show events occurring locally such as Alexander's visit to the Temple of Amun in Siwa to consult the oracle and his entrance into the harbour of the city that bears is name. Other interesting moments in the hero's life include his attempt to tame the wild horse Bucephalus -- shown prancing about wildly in fear of his own shadow. Alexander is depicted steering the horse towards the sun and thereby manages to subdue him. A mosaic depicting the battle of Issus in 333 BC shows the Grecian hero triumphant over the Persians. The last in the cycle of Alexander paintings shows him on his death bed after contracting the flu in Asia.
The head of Ptolemy XII, a bust of Cleopatra, and the queen's last gasp captured in oils
Figures such as Cleopatra also make an appearance at the museum with paintings depicting her clothing and adornments. The death of the famous queen, after having been bitten by a poisonous asp, is also shown.
As Ragab guided us through the museum, he recalled the famous battle of Actium, pointed out a replica of Alexander's sword and some maps, and recounted some of the triumphs and defeats of the great city. "History has more than one face and Alexandria lived to see them all," he said. "It was capital of Egypt for a thousand years."
Outlining his plans for the future, Ragab said, "Now that we have completed Hellenistic Egypt, two other [exhibits] are being prepared, the Jewish and Coptic, which will hopefully be completed within a six-month period." Explaining the significance of these projects he added: "Egypt was Coptic for 600 years, until the Islamic conquest in the year 641, so there is a lot to cover." Authoritative works and experts will be consulted as this project is implemented. "We aim at presenting an objective history," he said.
Animated by the richness of Egypt's history, Ragab's plans are ambitious: "After that, [the Jewish and Coptic periods] we aim to cover Napoleon's expedition to Egypt, and then modern history from the time of Mohamed Ali," he explained as his voice trailed off, leaving us to contemplate Egypt's rich heritage and the exciting prospect of viewing more of it at this unique museum.
