Archive for September, 2008

A precious 4,000 year old ushabti from the 19th Dynasty will finally return to Egypt. The artifact, discovered in Saqqara in 1985, stolen and then auctioned, was identified by experts at a museum in Lyden, the Netherlands, after it was presented to them by an amateur collector who had bought the item without knowledge... »

A group of Western tourists and their Egyptian guides, who were kidnapped 10 days ago by gunmen, have been freed. The 11 hostages – five Italians, five Germans and a Romanian – and their guides are said to be in good health. The group, abducted in a remote border region of Egypt, are now en... »

India will help Egypt in conserving and maintaining one of its key tourist spots in Cairo. The Baron Palace, also known as Hindu Villa, is facing decay because of lack of appropriate care by the authorities there. A three-member team of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the premier organization for archaeological research and protection... »

Sudanese forces have killed six kidnappers who abducted 11 European tourists and eight Egyptian guides in a remote desert in southern Egypt nine days ago, Sudan’s presidential advisor has said. A Sudanese soldier was also injured in the clash, Egypt’s official MENA news agency quoted the Sudanese army as saying, adding that the hostages were... »

A well detailed account by a female tourist of her encounter with sexual harassment. I counted nine instances by men from different social strata. At least, she acknowledges this is not an isolated national case, if that is some sort of relief. Harassment in Italy is notorious. But the cat-calls I experienced in Venice and... »

In this book Anthony Spalinger, a well-known Egyptologist at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, introduces us to the Egyptian war machine under the war pharaohs of Dynasty 18 and the Ramesside dynasty. Spalinger does not deal with the weapons of warfare in detail, but the focus (and therefore the strong point and the greatest... »

Osiris, ruler of the netherworld, played a central part in the religious life of the ancient Egyptians, and his cult grew in popularity down the ages, resonating in all the cultures of the ancient Mediterranean. This is the first book to tell the story of the cult of Osiris from beginning to end. Drawing... »

Eleven clients booked by the adventure-tour operator Explore have been offered the chance to switch to another tour, but are all keen to go ahead. The company’s next tour, which is due to depart on October 17, will include several days in the Gilf Kebir, an uninhabited region of dramatic rock sculptures and prehistoric... »

The ninth month of the Islamic calendar, Ramadan is the time when Muslims believe the Koran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. Islam calls for Muslims to abstain from food, drink and sex from dawn to dusk, sharpen their self-discipline and focus on becoming closer to God. Traditionally observed daily with big family or... »

Gammaliya has been the commercial and industrial center of Cairo since the end of the 19th century. It has, moreover, the highest concentration of Islamic monuments in the world. Adli Bishai, director of a project in Gammaliya now known as FEDA (Friends of Environment and Development Association) set up to the task of evaluating... »