31 May - 6 June 2001
Issue No.536
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 31 May - 6 June 2001 Issue No.536 |
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Shrine revisited
The Ministry of Culture's decision to register the Nile Delta tomb of a Moroccan Jew as an archaeological site is stirring controversy. Nevine El-Aref reports
Jewish pilgrims will continue to have access to the tomb of Abu Hassira, a Moroccan Jew venerated as a holy man, in the Nile Delta province of Beheira. But they will no longer be able to perform the annual rituals celebrating his birthday.
The Ministry of Culture declared the shrine, situated atop a 10-metre-high hill, and adjacent Byzantine tombs an archaeological site under the authority of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA).
The pilgrims usually celebrate Abu Hassira's birthday with dried fruits, bottles of alcohol and slaughtered animals -- to the resentment of the inhabitants of Demitiouh village, where the shrine is located. Now visitors will need a SCA ticket to access the shrine -- and they must be well-behaved.
Although the ministry's decision was applauded by several archaeologists, the villagers were not fully satisfied. Some feared it would serve as a loophole providing increased access for Israeli visitors.
"It is not an appropriate decision because the site does not qualify as a tourist destination," said Mustafa Rasslan, a lawyer from the village. Rasslan had filed a lawsuit with an administrative court demanding the removal of Abu Hassira's remains from Demitiouh.
Rasslan argued that the ministry's decision "will give the Israelis the opportunity to perform their rituals on Egyptian soil all year round, instead of once a year." He also claimed to have documentation from Morocco describing Abu Hassira as a devout Muslim and the descendant of Tarek ibn Ziad, the conqueror of Andalusia.
According to legend, Abu Hassira was a cobbler born in Morocco. While crossing the Mediterranean on a hassira (mat) to visit the Holy Land, he stopped at Demitiouh, remaining there until his death.
"Registering Abu Hassira's tomb as an archaeological site is a bad decision and its timing is also bad," said an archaeological inspector who requested anonymity. He wondered how Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni could take the decision now, when public anger is running high due to Israeli atrocities in the occupied territories. "Is he rewarding them?" the inspector asked.
But he noted that no SCA guards have been assigned to the area. In addition, Hosni's decision has yet to be published by the official gazette. This has triggered speculation that it might be reconsidered. But Gaballah Ali Gaballa, secretary-general of the SCA, said that publication was only a matter of time.
Defending the decision, Mohamed Abdel-Aziz, director of antiquities for Lower Egypt, said, "We must realise that the Abu Hassira shrine is not the only tomb that was declared an archaeological site, but the entire hill, which also houses other tombs. The Abu Hassira shrine, by itself, does not deserve to be registered as a monument, but the entire hill does. And it needs to be protected against encroachments," he added.
"What is all this fuss about the Abu Hassira shrine?" pondered Farouk Hosni. He said it was like any other archaeological site that has to be registered. "When we register a monument, we look at it as a site on Egyptian soil. We are not concerned with its religious affiliation," he said.
Zahi Hawass, director of the Giza Plateau, said the decision would both protect the area and prevent the raucous birthday celebrations. But from a psychological perspective, Hawass added, the decision may offend national sentiment because hundreds of Palestinians have been killed since the Intifada began last September.
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