Report from Minister of Antiquities about Egyptian Museum Looting

[flamingdem]

http://www.drhawass.com/blog/situation-egyptian-antiquities-today

Dr. Zahi Hawass was appointed as the Minister of Antiquities

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The Situation in Egyptian Antiquities Today

On Friday, January 28, 2011, when the protest marches began in Cairo, I heard that a curfew had been issued that started at 6.00pm on Friday evening until 7.00am on Saturday morning. Unfortunately, on that day the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, was not well guarded. About a thousand people began to jump over the wall on the eastern side of the museum into the courtyard. On the western side of the museum, we recently finished something I was very proud of, a beautiful gift shop, restaurant and cafeteria. The people entered the gift shop and stole all the jewellery and escaped; they thought the shop was the museum, thank God! However, ten people entered the museum when they found the fire exit stairs located at the back of it.

As every one knows, the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, is naturally lit and due to the architectural style of it, there are glass windows on its roof. The criminals broke the glass windows and used ropes to get inside, there is a distance of four metres from the ceiling to the ground of the museum. The ten people broke in when I was at home and, although I desperately wanted to go to the museum, I could not leave my house due to the curfew. In the morning, as soon as I woke up, I went directly there. When I arrived, I found out that, the night before, three tourist police officers had stayed there overnight because they were not able to get out before the curfew was put in place. These officers, and many young Egyptians who were also there, helped to stop more people from entering the museum. Thankfully, at 10.00pm on Friday night, the army arrived at the museum and gave additional security assistance.

I found out that one criminal was still at the museum, too. When he had asked the people guarding the museum for water, they took his hands and tied him to the door that lead to the gift shop so that he could not escape! Luckily, the criminals who stole the jewellery from the gift shop did not know where the jewellery inside the museum is kept. They went into the Late Period gallery but, when they found no gold, they broke thirteen vitrines and threw the antiquities on the floor. Then the criminals went to the King Tutankhamun galleries. Thank God they opened only one case! The criminals found a statue of the king on a panther, broke it, and threw it on the floor. I am very thankful that all of the antiquities that were damaged in the museum can be restored, and the tourist police caught all of the criminals that broke into it. On Saturday, the army secured the museum again and guarded it from all sides. I left the museum at 3.00pm on Saturday, 29, 2011.
What is really beautiful is that not all Egyptians were involved in the looting of the museum. A very small number of people tried to break, steal and rob. Sadly, one criminal voice is louder than one hundred voices of peace. The Egyptian people are calling for freedom, not destruction. When I left the museum on Saturday, I was met outside by many Egyptians, who asked if the museum was safe and what they could do to help. The people were happy to see an Egyptian official leave his home and come to Tahrir Square without fear; they loved that I came to the museum.

[Ichingcarpenter]

1. I really haven't cared for this guy for some time.

Egyptian state television reported that Hawass called upon Egyptians not to believe the “lies and fabrications” of the Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya satellite television channels.<28> Hawass later said “They should give us the opportunity to change things, and if nothing happens they can march again. But you can’t bring in a new president now, in this time. We need Mubarak to stay and make the transition.”

Criticism

Hawass has been widely accused of domineering behaviour, forbidding archaeologists to announce their own findings, and courting the media for his own gain after they were denied access to archaeological sites



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zahi_Hawass

I am glad the museum is safe so far.

[lumberjack_jeff]

2. It sounds as if he had very good reason.

Anarchy is no fun for a museum curator.

[L. Coyote]

3. Zahi Hawass is now part of the Mubarak regime. This move may be the end of his career.

[Ichingcarpenter]

4. Egyptologist internationally don't care for him

and yes he is appointed by Mubarak.

[sufrommich]

6. "Egyptologist internationally don't care for him"

Where does this information come from?

[Ichingcarpenter]

7. He has taken claim over other Egyptologists' discoveries

They call him the Pharaoh, the keeper of the pyramids. He rules Egyptology with an iron fist and a censorious tongue. Nobody crosses Zahi Hawass and gets away with it. As the fabulous treasures of Tutankhamun begin a world tour, Richard Girling excavates the conspiracies, conflicts and fears that curse the world of archeology

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/article521971.ece


Oh and by the way my friend is a university trained egyptologist and both of us
are happy the museums are safe for now. But don't care for this guy.

[MasonJar]

5. Whatever you think of him is irrelevant. The crucial element in this story

is that he and others are trying to secure antiquities which are not replaceable. These marvelous items are there for all of us and for future generations if looters and thieves do not maliciously destroy them. To think that anyone would even consider throwing such items to the floor for meanness is terrifying.

[jeff47]

8. The issue is that it's only his word that the protesters were looters and thieves

And he's got quite the motive to blame them instead of run-of-the-mill criminals.

[Dappleganger]

9. This is quite relevant to me.

[Ichingcarpenter]

10. called upon Egyptians not to believe the “lies and fabrications” of the Al Jazeera

tells them to listen and watch the State TV channel....


LOL!