News, Giza: Egyptian Antiquities Ministry Inspects Khufu's Boat After Accident Causes 'Mild' Damage To Beam

The accident occurred at the site where the ancient boat is being removed from its burial pit. Written By/ Nevine El-Aref. 

The crane used in lifting up the beams from the pit

A team of archaeologists and restorers were dispatched on Monday to the Giza Plateau to inspect work achieved at Khufu’s second boat project, and to investigate the condition of a damaged beam.

Since 2010, a Japanese-Egyptian team has been working to lift, restore and reconstruct the ancient boat, 4,500 years after it was buried as part of King Khufu's funeral rites. So far, 745 pieces of the 1,264 pieces of the whole boat have been removed from the excavation pit.

Ayman Ashmawi, the head of the Ancient Egyptian Department at the Ministry of Antiquities, told Ahram Online that the boat beam was damaged by accident when a crane malfunctioned, leading it to come into direct contact with a beam within the pit.

the crane lifting up a beam inside the pit

"A very small part of the beam was subjected to a very mild deterioration which does not have any impact on the beam itself and could be easily restored during the restoration work carried out by the efficient and skillful Japanese-Egyptian team," Ashmawi asserted, adding that his observation and the team escorted him during his inspection tour confirm the report submitted by the project team.

Ashmawi told Ahram Online that a committee from the Projects Department at the ministry is to be assigned to re-inspect the beam in order to make another report. He also said that the whole case is now under an administrative investigation in order to find out if there was any employee failure related to the incident.

Eissa Zidan, director-general of first aid restoration at the project, explained that the pit houses around 1,264 wooden beams in 13 different layers. The majority of the beams are in a very bad conservation condition while a minority are almost fully decomposed.

A total of 732 excavated pieces have so far been restored, Zidan said, and a collection of 560 pieces have been transported to the Grand Egyptian Museum overlooking Giza plateau.

There are plans to lift and restore all the beams in an attempt to reconstruct the boat and put it on display beside the first boat discovered in 1954 by Egyptian historian Kamal El-Malakh and restored by well-known restorer Ahmed Youssef.

Source: Ahram Online

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News, Giza: More Egyptian Artifacts Transported To The GEM

A soft opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum is planned for April 2018. Written By/ Nevine El-Aref.

One Of The Senefru's Blocks

A collection of 33 artifacts were transferred to the new Grand Egyptian Museum, known as the GEM, from a store gallery in the Giza Plateau.

A soft opening of the museum is planned for April 2018.

Tarek Tawfiq, general supervisor of the GEM, said that the artifacts includes three limestone columns of King Djedka Re Isesi, a fifth dynasty king of the Old Kingdom, as well as 30 stone blocks from the western wall of the temple of King Senefru, the founder of the fourth daynasty, which had been put in storage in 1960.

"The most important of these blocks are those belonging to the lower carved part of the wall," Tawfiq said.

The carvings on the blocks depict a group of women carrying offerings as they perform religious rituals inside the temple, while walking towards the king. There is also a cartouche in the name of King Senefru. These women, he said, represent Egypt's various regions in the Old Kingdom, which included 42 regions in the reign of King Senefru.

Akiko Nishasaka, the director of the project from the Japanese side, said that the project was carried out within the framework of the Egyptian-Japanese project to transfer 71 artifacts to the GEM in cooperation with the Japanese International Cooperation Authority (JICA).

She said that within the project, a number of items from King Tutankhamun's treasured collection had been transported, including a bed, a chariot, and three pieces of textile.

Eissa Zidan, the director-general of restoration at the GEM, said that the conservation team used advanced scientific methods and high-tech equipment in packing and transportation.

Source: Ahram Online

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News: 'Cairo Pass' Available For Foreigners to Visit all Archaeological Sites in Cairo And Giza

Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities is now issuing visitor’s passes for foreigners to visit all archaeological sites and museums in Cairo and Giza Governorates. Written By/ Nevine El-Aref.

The “Cairo Pass” costs $80 for foreign tourists and $40 for foreign students, and provides access to Islamic, Ancient Egyptian and Coptic sites for unlimited visits over a five-day period, according member of the Technical Office of the Assistant Minister of Antiquities Mostafa Elsagheer.

Elsagheer says the move comes as part of the ministry’s efforts to promote archaeological sites and increase its financial resources.

The pass can be obtained at the Cultural Relations Department at the ministry headquarters in Zamalek, as well as at ticket outlets at the Giza Plateau, the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir and the Citadel of Salah El-Din.

Assistant of the Minister of Antiquities for the Development of Financial Resources Eman Zeidan explains that foreigners can obtain the pass by showing their passport or a student card with picture ID.

Last year, the ministry issued the “Luxor Pass” under two categories.

The first – which costs $200 for tourists and $100 for students – includes all sites and museums in Luxor including the royal tombs of Queen Nefertari and King Seti I.

The second category is half the price and includes all sites excluding the aforementioned royal tombs.

The Annual Visitors Pass, meanwhile, includes all open archaeological sites and museums across Egypt, with several options available. The first is for foreign diplomats and foreigners who work in international and multinational companies in Egypt. The annual pass costs $240 excluding the tombs of Queen Nefertari and King Seti I, and $340 including the two royal tombs.

The annual pass for Egyptians and Arab residents in Egypt to visit all the country’s sites and museums costs EGP 400, or EGP 100 for university students. School trips and Egyptians over 60 are allowed free entry.

Source: Ahram Online

News, Giza: Lab Opens at Egypt's Pyramids to Restore Pharaonic Boat

Egypt is inaugurating its largest on-site antiquities laboratory, to restore the second ceremonial boat of Pharaoh Cheops, known for building the largest of Egypt's iconic pyramids.

The project, funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Higashi Nippon International University, is set to complete the initial phase of repairs of the 4,500-year-old vessel by 2020.

Eissa Zeidan, head of the project's Egyptian restoration team, told The Associated Press that the lab, at the site of the Giza pyramids, was necessary for some of the boat's 1,264 pieces, which are too fragile or large to move.

The vessel and its sister boat, on display near the Great Pyramid, were discovered in 1954 and are believed to have been buried with the pharaoh to carry him into the afterlife.

Source: Ahram Online

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Recent News: Hollywood Star Will Smith Visits Egypt's Giza Pyramids

Smith and his family with Hawass infront ofThe Sphinx. 

Photo courtesy of Hawass

The actor and his family admired the sun rise on Giza Plateau with Egypt's Zahi Hawass. Written By/ Nevine El-Aref.

Famed American actor Will Smith and his family arrived in Cairo early this morning and paid a visit to the Giza Plateau where they met renowned archaeologist Zahi Hawass, who guided the family on a tour around the Sphinx and inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu.

Hawass discussed with the Smiths the secrets of the Khufu Pyramid and the latest discoveries being uncovered at the plateau.

The former minister of antiquities told Ahram Online that Smith and his family enjoyed admiring the sun rise on the plateau, learning about ancient Egyptian civilisation and taking photographs before the Sphinx.

Smith and Hawass have been good friends since 2006 when they were selected among Time magazine's top 100 men and women whose power, talent or moral example is transforming the world.

Hawass told Ahram Online that Smith is from Philadelphia, the city where Hawass received his PhD. Hawass and Smith enjoyed breakfast together in a luxury hotel overlooking the plateau and planned to meet again for dinner. Smith received an Oscar nomination for portraying Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happyness in 2007.

Source: Ahram Online

News, Giza: Work on Giza Plateau Development Project in Full Swing - Antiquities Minister

The Giza Plateau development project is to be partly inaugurated end February. Written By/Nevine El-Aref.

Egypt’s Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany toured on Thursday work on the Giza Plateau Development Project and said that the plateau’s administrative building would be ready for inauguration very soon.

The minister said that work on the plateau is in full swing, and that the site looks entirely different from how it did two months prior. El-Enany called for information boards to be erected at the site’s ticketing area to serve as a guide for visitors.

Ashraf Mohi, Director-General of Giza Plateau, told Ahram Online that progress on at the site includes the completion of the administration building and the visitor centre. The foundation, pillars and ceiling of the students’ building have also been installed.

The purpose of the students’ building, Mohi said, would be to educate youth on archaeological work, and especially the excavation process. It is also intended to raise visitors’ awareness and understanding of Egyptian heritage.

Mohi said the plateau development project aims to improve security measures to make the site more tourist friendly. The project started in 2009 but was put on hold in the aftermath of the 2011 revolution for lack of funding. Work on the project resumed late last year.

Mohi said that state-of-the-art security system with monitoring cameras have been installed at the site. A new lighting system to illuminate the Giza Pyramids and the plateau at night is scheduled to be installed soon.

Source: Ahram Online

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News: Russian Delegation And King Farouk’s Grandson Visit Mohamed Ali Palace

The son of Belarus President Nikolay Lukashenko visited the Giza Plateau. Written By/ Nevine El-Aref.

Shamel and Badawi (centre) along with the Russian delegate

Prince Shamel, the grandson of the late King Farouk of Egypt, along with a top Russian diplomatic delegation, paid a visit on Tuesday to the Mohamed Ali Palace in Cairo’s El-Manial, while the son of Belarus President Nikolay Lukashenko visited the Giza Plateau.

Walaa El-Din Badawi, director of the Mohamed Ali Palace, told Ahram Online that Prince Shamel, the son of King Farouk’s daughter Princess Fadia, came to Egypt along with a Russian delegation including top officials and friends of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On Monday, Latvia’s ambassador to Egypt and the spouse of its former president also visited the palace. Badawi told Ahram Online that the visitors were keen to take photos in different sections of the palace, and promised to pay another visit Egypt soon.

Ashraf Mohi, director of the Giza Plateau, said that Lukashenko visited the Giza Pyramids and took photos in front of the Sphinx. Lukashenko, who Mohi says is fond of ancient Egyptian civilization, paid another visit to the plateau on the second day of his visit to explore the Great Pyramid of Khufu.

Source: Ahram Online

News, Giza: Ministries of Antiquities and Tourism Sign Cooperation Protocol to Develop Giza Plateau

Egypt's ministries of antiquities and tourism gear up for the development of archaeological sites to promote tourism. Written By/ Nevine El-Aref.

Egypt’s ministries of antiquities and tourism have signed a cooperation protocol to co-manage tourist services at archaeological sites all over the country in an attempt to promote tourism. Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany said that the Giza Plateau will be the first site to be developed within the framework of the protocol.

Ashraf Mohi, the general-director of the Giza Plateau, told Ahram Online that the areas to be managed at the Giza Plateau are to include the Giza pyramids, the visitor's centre, bazaars, cafeterias, sports area, as well as musical performances.

Mohi added that the first phase of the Giza Plateau Development Project, which started in 2010, is about to be completed. The first phase is financed by the Ministry of Tourism and includes the construction of several edifices including the visitor's centre, administrative offices, and tourism and antiquities police centres.

Paving all the roads around the plateau and those connecting the entrance gate to the exit is also part of the first phase. The second phase, Mohi said, will begin immediately after the completion of the first one and includes the development of the services area.

Source: Ahran Online

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