OurnTreasures Abroad, Scotland: Egypt to Send Official Inquiry over Alleged Pyramid Stone to be Displayed at Scottish Museum

Renowned Egyptologist Zahi Hawass asserts that the stone could not have come from the Great Pyramid of Giza. Written By/ Nevine El-Aref.

he supervisor-general of Egypt's Antiquities Repatriation Department, Shaaban Abdel-Gawad, has told Ahram Online that Egypt will send an official inquiry to Scotland asking for a certificate of possession and export documents for a casing stone purportedly from the Great Pyramid of Giza.

The BBC reported earlier today that the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh will display on 8 February a casing stone from the Great Pyramid of Khufu, which will be displayed for the first time outside of Egypt along with other ancient Egyptian artefacts.

Abdel-Gawad said that the Egyptian law for the protection of antiquities stipulates that trading or exporting antiquities is a crime, and if the block is found to have been smuggled out the country, all procedures will be taken to return it home.

Renowned Egyptologist Zahi Hawass asserted to Ahram Online that the block could not be from the Great Pyramid, whose outer layer was destroyed over the centuries.

“There is no image showing the casing of the Great Pyramid," Hawass said, adding that the outer layer of the pyramid was made of granite, like the pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure, and not of limestone as the National Museum of Scotland claims.

Hawass added that the only remaining casing from the Giza pyramids is found at the top of the Khafre pyramid and the lower part of the Menkaure pyramid.

Source: ِAhram Online

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News, Giza: Ancient Egyptian Artifacts From Al-Bahnasa Arrives at the GEM

A collection of 71 artifacts were transferred to the Grand Egyptian Museum in preparation for its opening in 2020. Written By/ Nevine El-Aref.

The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) received a collection of 71 artifacts today from Al-Bahnasa archaeological site in the Minya governorate in Upper Egypt.

Tarek Tawfiq, GEM Supervisor General, told Ahram Online that the collection includes several important ancient Egyptian pieces, such as the beautiful Nes-Ptah’s sarcophagus with an anthropoid lid. Nes-Ptah was a noble and son of Thebes’ and overseer Montumhat. The sarcophagus is inscribed with hieroglyphic texts and weighs a staggering five tons.

The collection also includes a red granite sarcophagus for a noble named User Montu, weighing three tonnes, as well as three colossi depicting the lioness goddess Sekhmet seated on the throne holding the symbol of life Ankh and the sun disk upon her head. 

Lastly, four canopic jars, with lids depicting the four sons of Horus, were also one of the artifacts transported to the GEM.

Eissa Zidan, Head of the First Aid Restoration Department at the GEM, explained that the collection was subjected to documentation and restoration before it was packed and transported.  The valuable collection was placed inside wooden boxes and covered with special foam layers which absorb the vibrations caused during transportation.

The GEM complex, located overlooking the Giza plateau, is a cultural institution located on an area of approximately 500,000 m2. Adjacent to the Pyramids of Giza, the complex includes one of the largest museums in the world, displaying the heritage of the Egyptian civilization. It will contain over 100,000 artifacts, reflecting Egypt's past from prehistory through the Greek and Roman periods in Egypt.

The museum is set to open in 2020. 

Source: Ahram Online 

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Back Home, Emirates: Sharjah Hands Back 400 Ancient Artifacts Smuggled Out of Egypt

The objects, from the Islamic and Pharaonic eras, are currently being examined at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo's Tahrir Square. Written By/ Nevine El-Aref.

Part of the recovered collection 

Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities has received a collection of 400 stolen and illegally smuggled artifacts returned to Egypt by the government of Sharjah.

The collection of Egyptian artifacts was seized by the Sharjah police in the United Arab Emirates and sent back to Cairo upon the order of Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammad Al-Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.

According to a ministry statement, Egypt's Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany "appreciates the initiative launched by his highness Sheikh Al-Qasimi and the UAE authorities, which highlights his support for culture and preserving Egyptian heritage, a matter that reflects the strong and good relationship between the two countries."

El-Enany added that, once the artifacts have been unpacked and documented, they will be put on display in a special exhibition at the ministry.

Shaaban Abdel Gawad, director-general of the ministry's Antiquities Repatriation Department, told Ahram Online that the objects are very valuable, most of them dating back to the Pharaonic period and some belonging to the Islamic era.

He said they include the following: a collection of painted false doors carved in stone; copper statuettes of ancient Egyptian deities such as Isis and Osiris; a collection of amulets made of faience; and udjat eyes made of copper and decorated with blue glass.

Fragments of diorite statues in the shape of sphinxes are also among the collection. The artifacts are currently being examined and documented at the Egyptian museum, said Abdel Gawad.

Source: Ahram Online

All Previous Recovered Artifacts Posts Here 

News: No Unauthorized Egyptian Artifacts at Louvre Abu Dhabi - Cairo

The Egyptian cabinet's Information and Decision Support Center has denied media reports that Egyptian pharaonic antiquities have been sold or smuggled to the Louvre Abu Dhabi.

Louvre museum, designed by French architect Jean Nouvel,
surrounded by sea water. The Louvre Abu Dhabi opens
its doors to the public on November 11, 2017

In an official statement on Tuesday, the IDSC said that the antiquities ministry has said that Egypt has not sent any antiquities to make a debut at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, set to be officially inaugurated in November.

Images have been circulating on social media showing a number of Emirati officials inspecting pharaonic antiquities inside the museum, raising speculation that Egypt had given up the items.

The ministry clarified that the antiquities pictured were from archaeological collections already in the Paris Louvre. The Paris branch of the museum currently includes about 50,000 pieces in its Egyptian collection, dating from 4,000 BC to the fourth century AD.

"Egypt has no right to interfere to stop the antiquities from being presented based on the law," the IDSC statement added, pointing that the acquisition of any antiquities by international museums was "legal."

"The antiquities were transferred outside the country legitimately before the issuing of a 1983 law that banned the trade in antiquities," the IDSC said, adding that prior to the passing of the law, countries that conducted excavations in Egypt had the right to have a share in the antiquities found. This is not the first series of denials by officials on the issue.

On Monday, the head of the Egyptian museums department at the antiquities ministry, Elham Saleh, denied the rumors that the Abu Dhabi items had been smuggled out of Egypt, calling on the media to ensure the accuracy of their reports.

Egypt has been making efforts to retrieve smuggled artifacts from foreign countries. It has called upon other countries to prevent illegal exchange, transfer, import or re-export of antiquities within their territories. The Louvre Abu Dhabi is the result of a 2007 agreement between the UAE and France.

Source: Ahram Online

News, Cairo: AUC Hands Over Egyptian Artifacts From 1964 Excavation in Fustat

The American University in Cairo transferred the 5,000 items to the Ministry of Antiquities, in line with Egyptian law. Written By/ Nevine El-Aref.

The American University in Cairo (AUC) has handed 5,000 historical artifacts over to the Ministry of Antiquities, parting with a collection it has held since the 1960s. The collection consists of a number of clay vessels of different shapes and sizes, ushabti figurines, tombstones and wooden funerary masks from the Graeco-Roman era, as well as lamps from the Islamic period.

Mahmoud Afifi, head of the Ancient Egyptian Department, told Ahram Online that the artifacts were unearthed by an AUC excavation team led by late Professor George Scanlon in 1964 at Establ Antar archaeological site in Fustat, Cairo. According to the Egyptian antiquities law during that time, said Afifi, any artifacts unearthed at archaeological sites could be divided with foreign missions. Accordingly, the AUC succeeded in keeping half of the excavated items.

Then in 1983, with the passing of the Egypt Antiquities Law (No. 117), the objects were registered as the property of the Egyptian state, but in the possession of the AUC. Mahmoud Khalil, Director General of the Antiquities Possession Department, said the AUC recently sent an official letter to the ministry asking for the artifacts to be returned to the state.

Khalil went on to say that the ministry immediately assigned an archaeological committee to inspect the collection, pack the items and transport them to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Fustat. The ministery has stated that anyone in possession of Egyptian antiquities should follow the lead of the AUC in handing them over, "since they are part of Egypt's heritage, to be enjoyed by all humanity."

Source: Ahram Online