Archive for April, 2009

Even though no case of swine flu has been yet reported, the Egyptian Health Ministry has just ordered the slaughtering of all pigs (about 300,000) in the country as a preventive measure. Pigs are raised in Egypt for consumption by the Christian Copts, about 10% of the population. Muslims do not eat pork meat. Despite the... »

In the first few hours after the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis opened ticket sales, it has sold more than 19,000 tickets, said Jaclyn Falkenstein, public relations coordinator for the museum. One year ago, the museum announced the “Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs” exhibit, would come to Indianapolis. The exhibit of more than... »

I found about this animal care initiative through Jane Ashkar’s Luxor News Blog. Animal Welfare of Luxor (AWOL) is a small UK registered free services charity whose aim is to break the circle of ignorance by educating the children of Luxor in the proper care of their animals and the animals that work for their... »

A hot air balloon crash over Egypt’s ancient temple city of Luxor injured 16 tourists Saturday, a security official said. The balloon struck a cell phone transmission tower near Gourna village on the west bank of the Nile. The injured tourists, who came from France, England, Denmark, U.S., Canada and South Korea, were taken to Luxor... »

For Egyptians, Sham Al-Nessim marks the advent of Spring. It falls on the first Monday after Coptic Easter, and it was linked to agricultural activity in ancient Egypt. It included fertility rites and ancient harvest festivals that were later, and unwittingly, attached to Christianity and the celebration of Easter. The date is not a... »

Image via Wikipedia Egypt is now implementing comprehensive, long-term site management programs all over the country, combining historic preservation with the construction of facilities that improve the experience of visitors to Egypt’s monuments. The work is  concentrated on sites that are frequented by tourists, as mass tourism is one of the most serious threats to Egypt’s... »

Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs will be in Toronto (its only Canadian stop) from Nov. 21, 2009, to April 18, 2010. The Art Gallery of Ontario last exhibited the young Egyptian pharaoh in 1979 and it proved to be immensely popular, attracting roughly 750,000 visitors, according to the gallery. Tutankhamun: The Golden King... »

The recently acquired collection from the research of silent film star turned Egyptologist Natacha Rambova will pave the way for new research, John Darnell, Yale professor of Egyptology, said Monday. These collections will, for the first time, publicize the impressive work Rambova conducted in her career, Colleen Manassa, an assistant professor in the Department of... »

For the first time since its unearthing in 2006, Science Channel exclusively returns viewers to the depths below Egypt’s desert as a team of archeologists uncovers the true purpose for KV63, and reveals, for the first time, that the tomb’s contents hold several new, important clues about the mummification of Egyptian pharaohs. “Our recent KV63... »

Archaeologists exploring an old military road in the Sinai have unearthed four new temples amidst the 3,000-year-old remains of an ancient fortified city that could have been used to impress foreign delegations visiting Egypt, antiquities authorities announced Tuesday. Among the discoveries was the largest mud brick temple found in the Sinai with an area of... »