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		Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 22 - 28 March 2001 Issue No.526
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875		Current issue \| Previous issue \| Site map

Fair days
INAUGURATING the 34th Cairo International Fair yesterday, President Hosni Mubarak commended the quality of the Egyptian products on display, stressing the importance of continued improvements in meeting export standards. Accompanied by a large entourage of ministers and foreign dignitaries, Mubarak toured the fair grounds for nearly three hours and quizzed exhibitors on their products.
Some 3,700 Egyptian producers and 1,600 foreign companies are exhibiting their wares -- ranging from cooking pots to fire engines -- at this year's 10-day fair. The first three days are reserved for businessmen only, while the remaining week will be open to the public.
Organisers hope that deals worth LE200 million will be concluded during the fair.
Mummy boom
BAHARIYA, now famous for its Valley of the Golden Mummies, continues to yield more treasures, Nevine El-Aref reports. Archaeologists are enchanted over the unearthing of the mummy of a child, its face finely moulded in gypsum. All mummies that have been found in this remarkable trove carry gilded masks over their face and torso, and the new mummy is no exception. It is in an excellent state of preservation, with the colours beautifully intact and the details of its eyebrows, eyes, nose and mouth looking as if they had been painted yesterday.
"This is a thrilling discovery," raved Zahi Hawass, director general of the Giza Plateau and Bahariya Oasis. "I expected Bahariya to yield more treasure, but this new discovery has really pleased me, particularly because of the child's lifelike features." Hawass said that the image clearly shows that the child is crying and speculated that it indicated both parents had died before him.
The site of the find, located six kilometres from Bahariya's capital, Bawaiti, is in the same area as the Valley of the Golden Mummies. Since its sensational discovery in 1999, the valley has yielded more than 200 gilded mummies and 11 other golden mummies have been found this season. Recalling other illustrious finds in the area, Hawass was especially intrigued by the tomb of Bahariya's ancient governor, discovered last year in El-Sheikh-Sobi area, in Bawaiti. "We have now come across the tomb of his wife," he said, saying it contained some 222 so-called shawabti figures. More of these figures, decorated with golden scarabs, were found in another tomb, believed to be that of his father.

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