Archive for December, 2009

Image by ramseyarnaoot via Flickr The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism has launched a new campaign, emphasizing the country’s appeal as the cradle of civilization. The new campaign, called “Egypt: Where it all Begins” substitutes the previous 2006 campaign “The Gift of the Sun” which aimed to attract tourists for its unique climate and the warmth of... »

Image via Wikipedia Public response to the Canadian exclusive of King Tut: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs continues to be overwhelmingly positive, with more than 100,000 tickets sold since they became available just under three months ago. As a result, and to accommodate continued high demand, the Art Gallery of Ontario will continue extended... »

Culture Minister Farouk Hosni approved the Supreme Council of Antiquities’ (SCA) request to establish a museum for the revolution of July 1953 in Egypt. This will be the first ever museum for the revolution, and will be installed in the building used by the revolution’s leadership in Al-Gezirah on Zamalek Island. This decision came after... »

Image via Wikipedia A meeting was held today at the offices of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, where Dr. Friederike Seyfried, Director of the Aegyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung in Berlin, presented Dr. Hawass with copies of all of the key documentation held by the Berlin Museum concerning the discovery and removal from Egypt of the... »

A member of the Egyptian parliament has filed a lawsuit over an article questioning why polygamy is allowed for men in Islam but not for women. Published in the independent newspaper Al Masry Al Youm, the article “My four husbands and I” by Nadine al-Bedair suggests that polygamy should either be allowed for both men... »

Image via Wikipedia In truth, I had no desire to wade into this battle, but I told the media that Egypt is demanding the return of six individual antiquities, and that the real home of these artefacts is their native Egypt. These six antiquities are; the bust of Queen Nefertiti in Berlin’s Neues Museum, the... »

Egyptian archaeologists on Thursday lifted an ancient granite temple pylon out of the waters of the Mediterranean, where it had lain for centuries as part of the palace complex of Cleopatra, now lay strewn on the seabed in the harbor of Alexandria, the second largest city of Egypt. The pylon, which once stood at the... »

Image via Wikipedia Dr. Zahi Hawass has issued a statement prohibiting the use of cameras at the Valley of the Kings. Two reasons are cited for this decree, as he himself calls it: the careless use of flash by visitors and the incapacity of the authorities to prevent guards from accepting bribes in exchange for... »

Dr. Nicole Hansen mentions in her Facebook page that she has received news that Susan Weeks drowned in the Nile late last night/early this morning (13th December) in Luxor. She apparently fell from the dahabiya, a houseboat she and her husband acquired in 2001, and drowned. The police found her and she was identified. Archaeologists... »

Like its American model “The Onion”, El Koshary Today uses sarcasm and imagination to raise awareness of some of the serious (and not so serious) issues plaguing Egypt, such as sexism, harassment, tyranny, corruption, religious fundamentalism, environmental and economic affairs. Here are some examples of El Koshary Today’s  ingenious satire: - Egyptian grooms can now complain... »