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Egyptian News Roundup
Antiquity Developments
This month, a new Pyramid found on the West bank
at Luxor will surely shake things up, though we have not heard
much about it yet. Another development that has dominated the news
is the discovery of Herakleion of the Egyptian coast. But
surprisingly, a lot of this month's antiquity news is about
restoration and preservation of Antiquities.
Pyramid at Luxor
The joint Egyptian-German archeological mission
under Daniel Boltz, Director of the German Institute of
archaeology, unearthed the base of the first pyramid ever
discovered at the Western Bank in Luxor. The find is considered
the most important remains discovered so far due to the importance
of its builder, King Nub-Khbar-Ra, one of the latest kings of the
17th Dynasty (1650-1550 BC) and the first one who led the
liberation war against the Hyksos in Egypt. Gaballah Ali Gaballah,
Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA),
said this is the first time a pyramid has discovered in Luxor, or
for the 17th Dynasty. This discovery was made using a papyrus,
which experts believe may lead to other discoveries.
Herakleion
We reported this discovery last month, but it
remains in the news. Discovered off the coast of Egypt the most
significant finds is an enormous granite statue of a pharaoh.
Franck Goddio discovered the city which covers an area of one
square kilometer, untouched below the sea. An international team
found the city which experts claim is the most important discovery
since Tutankhamun's burial chamber. Menelaos, King of the
Spartans, was said to have stopped at Herakleion during his return
from Troy with Helen, while the first historical mention of the
city was in 450 BC when it was recorded by Herodotus.
Restorations and Preservations
Much of the antiquity talk in Egypt these days
is on restoration and preservation, not surprisingly so since a
number of officials have voiced concerns about taking care of the
discovered antiquities prior to looking for new finds. We have
reported about the renovations of mosques and ancient churches in
Cairo, but many other renovations are taking place, or planned.
These include renovations in Damietta, Bellusium, and planned
restorations in the Fayoum, among many others. One of the most
severe problems facing Egyptian antiquities seems to be
underground water, which threatens among other monuments, the
temples of Luxor.
Other Antiquity News
Archaeologists now believe the stone building
known as "Almudir Bridge" in Sakkara is the most ancient
stone building on the planet, predating the Pyramid of Zoser in
Sakkara by some 200 years. Almudir Bridge takes a rectangular
shape, with its dimensions being 600 meters high and 400 meters
long
The never-ending questions regarding how the
great pyramids were built in Egypt continue. The latest theories
involve kites, and recently scientists in fact used a somewhat
high tech giant kit to lift several tons of stone. The kite uses
pulleys that quadruple its lifting power.
When Renee Friedman, Heagy Research Curator at
the British Museum, pulled back the matting over the first of the
three women, she could not believe what she saw. The body had been
subjected to sophisticated mummification at least 500 years before
the earliest known mummies. The mummies were among discoveries at
Hierakonpolis, the first capital of Egypt, which have astounded
the archaeology community.
Archaeologists have discovered six unknown
Egyptian tombs in Cairo dating back to 3,000 BC. The tombs,
predating the pyramids by hundreds of years and contain the
skeletons of two women and numerous artifacts. The tombs were
constructed during a period, which marked the end of Egypt's
prehistory and the beginning of the age of the Pharaohs. They were
discovered at the Helwan cemetery.
Travel News
Current travel news revolves around the recent
popularity of Alexandria. For many years, few non-Egyptian
tourists visited Alexandria, as there are few ancient artifacts to
be found there. However, it would seem that the city owes Franck
Goddio, who has been making startling discoveries of Alexandria's
coast, a big thank you. Since his discoveries of Cleopatra's
palace, among others, hotel occupancy has doubled, which is
interesting since most of the discoveries remain at the bottom of
the Mediterranean sea.
Perhaps because of the spotlight on Alexandria,
the media seems to also want us to know more about Rosetta.
Certainly, this is an interesting city, where the Rosetta Stone
was discovered, but as yet, it has few tourist facilities and no
tourist lodging. However, this city has some grand Ottoman era
buildings, and city leaders are attempting to build a better
tourist-oriented infrastructure.
The Egyptian Supreme Council For Antiquities (SCA)
has decided upon the design of new Ramses II museum which is going
to be built in Badra Shane, Giza. This is the original location of
where the Ramses II statue was found. The statue currently is
located at Ramses Square. The museum is designed so that visitors
could more easily see the statue rather than in its current
location at the Ramses Square, between Luxor and Aswan.
(Alexandria) Dr. Gaballah Ali Gaballah, head of
the Supreme Council for Antiquities, started examining
contractors' offers this week for the restoration of the Bassili
Pasha Palace. This Palace will become the new National Museum of
Alexandria. An antiquity committee is also now making selections
for the collection of artifacts, which will be placed in the new
museum
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