News: In Egypt the mummies return. But will tourists in a pandemic?

Saqqara, a dusty necropolis south of Cairo, has become instrumental in Egypt's fightback against a tourist slump.

It's been an extraordinary year for archaeological discoveries at the UNESCO World Heritage Site, where separate finds have unearthed scores of sarcophagi and a host of artifacts, including an obelisk and a unique, bejeweled statue of the god Nefertum.

This, following the reopening of the 4,700-year-old Djoser's Step Pyramid in March after a 14-year, $6.6 million restoration.

In early October, 59 sarcophagi, around 2,500 years old, were uncovered. Wonderfully preserved with their original colors and hieroglyphs, their unveiling was an opportunity to reach a prized audience: tourists. Alongside press, Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities invited dozens of foreign ambassadors, who subsequently shared images and details across social media.

"The discovery entered into the hearts of everyone all over the world," former minister of antiquities Zahi Hawass tells CNN.

"I think the ambassadors really sent a message to their countries about the pleasures of Egypt, because we need tourists to come back."

Tourism in Egypt had been growing in recent years, according to Kevin Graham, Egypt editorial manager at research and advisory company Oxford Business Group (OBG). "At the beginning of 2020 there was the expectation that this growth trend would continue," he tells CNN.

Then the pandemic happened. International flights were suspended in March along with the closing of archaeological sites and museums. Commercial flights didn't resume until July.

OBG calculates tourism contributed over 9% of Egypt's GDP in 2019, and while domestic tourism has continued to an extent, Graham adds, international tourism plummeted.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has downgraded its forecast for tourism expenditure in Egypt this fiscal year from $17.8 billion to $2.7 billion.

Egypt has had more than 107,000 confirmed cases and more than 6,200 deaths from Covid-19 at the time of writing, and more than 1,00 cases in the past week, per John Hopkins University. 

New deaths and cases peaked in June.

While the pandemic rumbles on, the tourism sector is regrouping.

In July, a smattering of attractions reopened including the Great Pyramids of Giza, along with hotels issued with government safety certificates indicating they met World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. 

In September, more archaeological sites reopened, and the Egyptian government announced further measures to support the sector, including extending visa fee exemptions for tourist hotspots Luxor, Aswan, the Red Sea and South Sinai until April 2021, and delaying repayments on utility bills and debts for tourism-related companies.

Amr Karim, general manager for Travco Travel, one of Egypt's largest travel operators, says after a "drastic decline," the past three months have seen a "gradual increase in beach holidays," with bookings coming from across Europe.

Visitors to Egypt are currently required to present a negative PCR test certificate on arrival, taken no more than 72 hours prior to their flight departure, although arrivals at some airports on the coast are allowed to take a $30 PCR test then quarantine until they receive their results.

Travco is implementing WHO regulations and is disinfecting hotel rooms, public spaces and vehicles, while staff are using face masks, sanitizing tools and social distancing. Karim notes the proportion of elderly travelers is down while there's been a rise in travelers under 50, and that tourists are, by and large, sticking to their hotels.

He anticipates a "boom" in tourism to ancient sites by the third quarter of 2021.

"The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has been exerting monumental efforts in the last few years to enhance and shed light on Egypt's archaeological treasures," Karim says, citing new archaeological sites, events including the parade of 22 royal mummies from the Egyptian Museum to their new home at National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, and the construction of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM).

After years of groundwork, these efforts will culminate in the opening of the GEM in 2021. Cairo's vast new museum -- nearly half a million square meters and built at a cost of over $1 billion -- is nearing completion close to the site of the Pyramids of Giza. 

The treasures within will include an 83-ton, 20-meter (66 feet) granite statue of Ramses the Great and over 5,000 artifacts from King Tutankhamun's burial chamber -- the first time the blockbuster haul will be displayed in the same place.

"It is hard to make any predictions in the status quo," says Karim. "It all depends on the medical revelations and vaccines in progress to combat the Covid-19 pandemic ... We are hoping for the best."

Hawass remains bullish -- understandable, given he's been involved with the GEM for two decades -- and is optimistic 2021 will be better than 2020.

"I really think that Egypt is more safe than other countries," he says. "We need tourists back."

Source: edition

News Egypt "2" : Historic day for Egypt’s tourism as 3 museums opened at once: Al-Anani.

Saturday was a historic day for Egypt’s tourism industry, as three important museums inaugurated in one day, according to Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled Al-Anani.

The minister’s remarks came during President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s inauguration of the museums, which are the Sharm El-Sheikh Museum, the Kafr El-Sheikh Museum, and the Royal Carriages Museum in Cairo. Combined, the establishment of the new museums cost nearly EGP 1bn.

During his speech, Al-Anani reviewed the state’s efforts in the field of museum sector, development and restoration of archaeological sites, and archaeological missions in Egypt. 

The minister also presented the working plan for the museums that were inaugurated on Saturday.

Sharm El-Sheikh Museum

Al-Anani said that the Sharm El-Sheikh Museum is the first museum of antiquities in the Red Sea resort.

The idea of establishing the museum, located on an area of 191,000 sqm, dates back to 1999. Work on the project began in 2003, before stopping in 2011 during the 25 January Revolution. Work on the EGP 812m museum then resumed in 2018.

The museum includes three halls for displays, in addition to an entertainment area that includes a number of restaurants, bazaars, traditional crafts shops, an open theatre and squares for celebrations and events.

Kafr El-Sheikh Museum

The minister said that the Kafr El-Sheikh Museum is the first museum of antiquities in the ancient governorate.

The idea of establishing the museum dates back to 1992, after Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate allocated a 6,800 sqm plot of land inside the Sana’a Park.

This would be used to establish a national museum documenting cultural heritage, and aims to spread archaeological and cultural awareness of the Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate’s heritage, and for the nearby governorates.

The construction work on the museum began in 2002, but was stopped in 2011, before being completed in 2018. 

This took place after a cooperation protocol between the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate was signed in 2017, with the total cost of the project reaching EGP 62m.

The museum consists of three main exhibition halls, displaying artefacts from the excavations at the Tell Al-Faraeen archaeological area, in addition to other archaeological areas from Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate.

Royal Carriages Museum

Al-Anani also spoke of the opening of the restoration and development project for the Royal Carriages Museum.

It is considered one of the oldest quality museums in the world and one of the most important vehicle museums in the world.

The idea of ​​establishing the museum dates back to the reign of Khedive Ismail in the second half of the 19th Century. During this period, a building was designated for Khedivial chariots and horses in Bulaq, and was initially called the Khedivial Stirrup Department.

During the reign of King Fuad I, the building was renamed the Administration of the Royal Stables. The building was converted into a historical museum after the July 1952 revolution.

In 2002, the museum was closed to commence with an integrated restoration and development project, but the project ground to a halt in 2011.

Work resumed again in 2018. The museum, which cost a total of EGP 63m, covers a total area of 6175 sqm, and consists of several halls.

Al-Anani affirmed that work resumed at the three museums following a years-long hiatus since 2011, based on presidential directives.

There has been an emphasis on giving utmost importance to all projects for the maintenance, restoration and security of Egyptian antiquities, and the development and establishment of major and regional museums.

Source:dailynewsegypt

News Egypt: Egypt's President Sisi re-opens 3 museums after coming to a halt in 2011.

Khaled el-Enany, Egypt's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, gave a speech during President Abd El-Fatah El-Sisi’s inauguration of three new museums in three different governorates Saturday.

They are the museums of Sharm El-Sheikh, Kafr El-Sheikh and the Royal Chariots museum in Cairo. 

This emphasizes the unprecedented support Egypt gives to the tourism and antiquities sector. 

In addition to showcasing Egypt’s unparalleled history and civilization through the establishment of museums that tell the story of this unique civilization and its different historical eras. 

Enany, said in his word "that today is an exceptional day in the history of Egyptian tourism and antiquities, as 3 important museums are opened in the governorates of Sharm El-Sheikh, Kafr El-Sheikh and Cairo, at a cost of nearly L.E 1 billion."

During the speech, the minister implored the state’s efforts in museum projects, development and restoration of archaeological sites and archaeological work in Egypt.

In addition to that, he presented the work progress of the three museums that were inaugurated. 

Enany pointed out that the Sharm El-Sheikh Museum is the first museum of antiquities in the picturesque coastal city of Sharm El-Sheikh. 

He added that work started in the museum in 2003 and then stopped in 2011. He said that Kafr El-Sheikh Museum too, is the first museum of antiquities in the ancient governorate of Kafr El Sheikh, stating work started in it in 2002 and then stopped in 2011.

Enany talked about the opening of the restoration and development project of the Royal Carriages Museum, which is one of the oldest museums in the world and one of the most important carriage museums in the world.

Moreover, he said that its restoration and development project started back in in 2002 and that it stopped in 2011. 

The minister further said that work was resumed in the three museums due to the directives of Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, after it was halted for years since 2011.

He added that the president directed the government to give all projects of maintenance, restoration, preservation and protection of Egyptian monuments, in addition to the development and establishment of major and regional museums utmost importance.

In addition, Enany explained that "today’s openings show the political and financial support the political leadership gives to preserving the heritage and antiquities of Egypt; and to building and developing museums."

He also said that the resumption of work in all antiquities and museum projects, that have been suspended for years, contributes to providing a diverse tourism infrastructure in all governorates. 

In addition to that, it creates new tourist attractions and offerings. Those diversified offerings cater the various interests of tourists.

He added that Sharm El Sheikh Museum and Hurghada Museum, both offer visitors and tourists a unique experience and an opportunity to enjoy Egypt’s beautiful beaches and at the same time learn about the ancient Egyptian civilization; mixing leisure and culture. 

The minister concluded his speech by reiterating that the museums that were opened will contribute to increasing the tourism in addition to archaeological awareness of Egyptians, especially children and youth, to get to know the rich and unique civilization of their country. 

After the opening of the Sharm El-Sheikh Museum, the minister took a memorial photo with all the museum employees in appreciation of their relentless efforts to carry through work in the the museum until its official opening became a reality.

Source:egypttoday

New Discovery, Sakkara:‘Extraordinary’ mummified animal ‘changing ancient history’ found by archaeologists.

EGYPT archaeologists were stunned after discovering an "extraordinary" mummified animal down a shaft in Saqqara, and its identification could change their understanding of the ancient civilisation.
The 2,600-year-old find was made in Bubasteum, a Ptolemaic temple complex dedicated to the cat goddess Bastet in the cliff face of the desert boundary of Saqqara.
Workers had already uncovered the “once-in-a-generation” discovery of the tomb of Wahtye, who served under the third king of the Fifth Dynasty – Pharaoh Neferirkare. But during the excavations, led by a team of Egyptians, they also found a shaft filled with mummified cats believed to have been given as offerings to Bastet.
The findings were revealed during Netflix’s new series ‘Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb,’ after worker Hamada Shehata Ahmed Mansour was pulled back up from the shaft.
But one of the animals left the team puzzled.
Mr Mansour said: “Like anyone else, I’ve seen cats of many sizes.
“But a cat that is absolutely massive like this? I’ve never seen that before.
We need to get the bones tested to see what it is.
“It’s so big, I can’t imagine there was ever a cat this size.”
It was taken to Professor of Egyptology Salima Ikram to be studied, who was also baffled by its sheer size.

She said: “Wow, that is unbelievable.
“I see a moustache; this is really interesting.
“On the heads of other cat mummies, there might be a scarab (beetle) up here, but it doesn’t look like a scarab.
“This one looks more like a bee or something. It’s really strange, it’s unusual.
“You can see fur in this section, golden yellow. It can’t be [a cat], surely.”
The team performed a scan of the mummified animal to determine what it was and made an incredible breakthrough.
Prof Ikram explained: “That’s the head, you can see it’s a baby because the teeth are still mostly up inside the gums. These are big canines.
“The backbone – nothing is fused, this is definitely a baby and the backbone is arched.
“If it were stretched out properly, it would be more than a metre from head to tail.
“This is no domestic cat, it is too big for a lynx, maybe the design is different because this is a different species.
“Look at the way lions’ frown, maybe this is supposed to be like that, and they put the wings on because they’re used to having the scarab.”
The expert went on to detail why she believed it could be the mummified remains of a lion cub.
She added: “Lion cubs have long noses as well, and the colour matches.
“This is the first time in the known history of mummification that we have a lion here in Saqqara. A mummified lion.
“We think, based on the markings that are painted on the face, that this is a baby lion.

“This is just extraordinary because there are stories of lion catacombs, and some of us have been looking for years for this.
“Now, the logical place is the Bubasteion, it’s mind-blowing to think of what this lion may represent in terms of our understanding of ancient Egyptian culture, economy, religion.”
Later analysis confirmed the find was a lion cub and was dated to around 600BC.
Prof Ikram noted: “It changes how we think about how ancient Egyptians were interacting with wild animals.
“How they might have been breeding them or keeping them tame, how they might have used to worship, but also they were breeding them and giving them as offerings.”
The new documentary, which was released globally yesterday follows the journey of workers as they uncovered over 3,000 artefacts, helping to piece together the secrets of what has been called “Egypt’s most significant find in almost 50 years”.
The team decoded the burial of the most decorated tomb ever found in Saqqara, dedicated to the Old Kingdom priest Wahtye.
Transporting the audience back through the millennia, the film provides a unique and unprecedented window into the lives – and deaths – of one man and his family.

Source:express

New Discovery, Sakkara: Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb review – hidden depths in ancient Egypt.

The “secrets” here are in fact well known, having made headline news across the world in 2019: the discovery in the Saqqara necropolis, just outside Cairo, of scores of mummified animals, including a lion cub, and an untouched tomb from the 25th century BC.

But what makes this an exceptional documentary is the focus on the entirely Egyptian archaeological team, doing their bit in a quiet way to decolonise Egyptology and to demonstrate the emotional connection between the locals and the ancient civilisation they are unearthing.

In truth, excavating the pharaonic monuments has always been a multinational affair, with dig teams from all over the world pitching in. 

But the dominant images of British chaps in pith helmets or the Indiana Jones-style maverick are hard to dispel; this film’s aim, apart from simple wonderment at what the excavators find, is to assert Egyptian ownership of the country’s heritage and history.

And it does it really rather well, if you filter out the somewhat superfluous race-against-time narrative that has been added over the top.

Much more effective are the meditative interviews the film-makers conduct across the whole team, from the excavation director to the anthropologist working on skeletal reassembly to the digger’s foreman. 

Another tiny gripe: the interviewees are introduced only by their first names, a slightly patronising move which means it takes some disentangling to find out that they are in fact world experts in their fields.

The film’s richly coloured photography, precisely defined sense of topography and nicely conceived illustrations combine seamlessly to make clear what could be a confusing welter of information from two parallel digs.

The finds are extraordinary, and the commentaries on them by the participants are equally wonderful. This is fascinating stuff, smoothly put together, and carrying genuine human interest.

Source:theguardian

News, Egypt: Hollywood's Enduring Fascination With 'The Mummy'.

The early October announcement that Egyptian archaeologists had unearthed 59 highly-preserved, sealed wooden coffins that are at least 2,500 years ago sent the international media into overdrive, with Google offering nearly 11 million search options for 'mummy discovery 2020.'
The find was remarkable; mummified remains wrapped in cloth and buried in ornately decorated sarcophagi with brightly-coloured hieroglyphic inscriptions.
The discovery was the first since Covid-19 mostly shut Egypt's museums and archaeological sites and reduced tourism to a trickle.
What's interesting is that – to be frank – a mummy is much like most other mummies. 
Sure, there may be more colour, but the basic concept remains the same; and yet, these artefacts of ancient Egyptian history have had a spellbinding effect on the west since the first mummy – named 'Ginger' for its red hair – was exhibited at the British Museum in 1901.
The first Hollywood mummy movie, 1932's The Mummy, was a smash hit and since then, Hollywood has produced close to 100 mummy related films.
So, what explains the western world's fascination with Egyptian mummies? It's not like they are the world's only examples of well-preserved, ancient human remains. 
And they aren't the oldest. One mummy, that that was DNA tested, was found to be 28,000 years old. 
Called Paglicci 23 due to being found in the Paglicci Cave in Apulia, Italy, it predates the oldest Egyptian mummies by 25,000 years.
There are Chinese mummies, there are South American mummies and there are frozen or preserved-in-a-bog specimens; some of which are in excellent condition.
There's something about ancient Egypt that has lured western scientists, tourists and movie makers for generations. Hollywood is infatuated with mummies, but even Tom Cruise couldn't save the disastrous 2017 film 'The Mummy.
The intended attempt to create a new franchise – on paper – had everything going for it: a great cast, a spookier story, a sexier mummy, but it bombed, badly. Universal Pictures put up US$345 million – no doubt banking on Cruise's star power – but the movie ended up losing the studio as much as US$95 million.
You would think after that they would have learned their lesson, but no, internet rumours abound of a 2021 Mummy re-re-boot, this time starring Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson.
Every studio is denying it, but the fact there are fan-made trailers for a non-existent concept movie online attests to the staying power of Egyptian mummies.

Hollywood should have let things be with the well-received 1999 The Mummy remake starring Brendan Fraser, a film that mixed adventure and humour well. The movie and its cast didn't take themselves too seriously and audiences enjoyed the ride.
But of course, Hollywood executives love to beat a dead camel and made half-a-dozen squeals and prequels and spinoffs, most of which got lost in quicksand.
And it's not just mummies that Hollywood seems infatuated with. The whole 'mystical Egypt' trope has spawned dozens of films, with The Scorpion King, Legion of the Dead, and even X-Men: Apocalypse, whose villain was some sort of ancient Egyptian king-mummy, to cite just a few.
It might be fair to credit or blame French scholar Jean-François Champollion with this enduring fascination. Champollion was the man who, in 1822, finally cracked the code to Egyptian hieroglyphics. He'd become entranced by hieroglyphics after spending time in the service of Napoleon Bonaparte as French armies rampaged through Syria and Egypt in 1798, partly in a bid to weaken Britain's control of India.
That French invasion also gave birth to another enduring western myth related to Egypt: that the nose of Great Sphinx of Giza was shot off by French troops doing target practice. Modern scholars have debunked the claim and archaeological research has concluded that it was broken with instruments sometime between the 3rd and 10th centuries CE, but by whom remains a topic for debate.
But back to the mummies.
Some praise the sophistication of ancient Egyptian mummification. Reports note the 3,000-year-old mummy of Pharaoh Seti I looked like he was sleeping after being discovered in 1881.
The Minneapolis Institute of Art, however, has a deeper answer than just how pretty the mummies look. 
In one word, it's 'intrigue.' In an article for the Institute regarding Egypt, Jan-Lodewijk Grootaers, Mia's curator of African art notes, 'There's something about the mystery of it all. 
Things are hidden — in pyramids, in tombs, in sarcophagi. There are false doors. Even hieroglyphs require a code to understand them.'
Mystery does indeed abound. 
King Tutankhamun's mummy was buried inside three coffins nested inside each other like Russian dolls, those were then hidden inside a sarcophagus, which was in turn hidden inside a frame, all of which was entombed inside four shrines. Why he required nine coverings is fascinating and allows each observer to 'choose your own adventure,' if you will.
With so much still unknown about ancient Egypt, the mystery is sure to continue to entice travellers, scientists and of course, Hollywood.

Source:menafn

News , "2" : Researchers Decipher The Secret Ingredients of Ancient Egyptian Ink.

An analysis of 12 ancient papyrus fragments has revealed some surprising details about how the Egyptians mixed their red and black ink – findings which could give us a lot more insight into how the earliest writers managed to get their words down on the page.
We know that ancient Egyptians were using inks to write at least as far back as 3200 BCE. 
However, the samples studied in this case were dated to 100-200 CE and originally collected from the famous Tebtunis temple library – the only large-scale institutional library known to have survived from the period.
Using a variety of synchrotron radiation techniques, including the use of high-powered X-rays to analyse microscopic samples, the researchers revealed the elemental, molecular, and structural composition of the inks in unprecedented detail.
"By applying 21st century, state-of-the-art technology to reveal the hidden secrets of ancient ink technology, we are contributing to the unveiling of the origin of writing practices," says physicist Marine Cotte from the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in France.
The red inks, typically used to highlight headings, instructions, or keywords, were most likely coloured by the natural pigment ochre, the researchers say – traces of iron, aluminium, and hematite point to this being the case.More intriguing was the discovery of lead-based compounds in both the black and the red inks, without any of the traditional lead-based pigments used for colouring.
This suggests the lead was added for technical purposes.
"Lead-based driers prevent the binder from spreading too much, when ink or paint is applied on the surface of paper or papyrus," the team writes in their study.
"Indeed, in the present case, lead forms an invisible halo surrounding the ochre particles."
As well as explaining how the ancient Egyptians kept their papyrus smudge-free, it also suggests some pretty specialised ink manufacturing techniques.
It's likely that the temple priests who wrote using this ink weren't the ones who were originally mixing it.
"The fact that the lead was not added as a pigment but as a drier infers that the ink had quite a complex recipe and could not be made by just anyone," says Egyptologist Thomas Christiansen, from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.
"We hypothesise that there were workshops specialised in preparing inks."
Interestingly enough, the preparation of red ink inside a workshop has also been mentioned in a Greek document dated to the third century CE, backing up the idea of specialised ink mixing in Egypt and across the Mediterranean.
This technique of using lead as a drying agent was also adopted in 15th century Europe as oil paintings began to appear – but it would seem that the ancient Egyptians discovered the trick at least 1,400 years earlier.
The researchers are planning more tests and different kinds of analysis, but what they've found so far is already fascinating – another example of how modern-day scientific instruments can unlock even more secrets from the past, even down to coloured ink.
"The advanced synchrotron-based microanalyses have provided us with invaluable knowledge of the preparation and composition of red and black inks in ancient Egypt and Rome 2,000 years ago," says Christiansen.

Source:sciencealert