Archive for June, 2011

After five years of hard work, the avenue of Sphinxes has been reincarnated into its original form, inviting Luxor’s visitors to walk along the historical avenue as the ancient Egyptians did in the days of the Pharaohs. To celebrate the restoration, said Mansour Boreik, director of Luxor monuments, the ministry of state for antiquities (MSA)... »

Digital Egypt is behind one of the most detailed maps of Egypt, available both in English and in Arabic. The GIS web application is incredibly detailed. Schools and universities, banks and gas stations, mosques and churches – no stone has been left unturned in Digital Egypt’s maps. When it comes to the English interface, Digital Egypt... »

French excavators working at the San El-Hagar archaeological site unearthed hundreds of painted limestone blocks that were once used in the construction of the temple of the XXII dynasty king Osorkon II. French archaeologist Philip Brousseau, head of the French mission, claims the newly discovered blocks were reused in the construction of the enclosed wall... »

While domain options have increased substantially, until recently countries that use non-Latin characters were at a disadvantage. Websites have always been able to display other types of script, such as Chinese or Arabic, in the body of their pages, but no such options were available for top level domains. Then in May 2010, the organization responsible... »

Humanity owes her half a century of discovery and intense activity, but above all, the survival of more than twenty temples of Upper Egypt, including Abu Simbel, threatened to dissappear by the construction of the Aswan Dam during mid-twentieth century. It was Desroches-Noblecourt who conceived and championed to the end for over two decades the... »

The Jewish Claims Conference agreed to cede ownership of a collection of antiquities to the Leipzig museum that has housed them for 80 years, ending a dispute with the grandson of Georg Steindorff, the Nazi-era owner. After winning a 16-year legal battle against Leipzig University to secure the 163 artifacts, the Claims Conference said today... »

Hundreds of foreign and Egyptian journalists along with photographers, cameramen and TV presenters flocked to the Giza Plateau for the unveiling of Khufu’s second solar boat. The second solar boat remained sealed in its pit until 1987 when the American National Geographic Society examined it in association with the Egyptian Office for Historical Monuments. The... »

Egypt’s military rulers have posted a Facebook poll to gauge the popularity of nearly 20 presidential hopefuls, an attempt to show their commitment to a democratic transition. The online survey, which had garnered more than 100,000 responses by yesterday, listed 18 possible candidates, including Mohamed ElBaradei, who helped lead the push for reforms; the first... »

A huge palace from the Roman ages (31-395 BC) has been discovered by a US expedition in the Amhada region, 500km south of Cairo, in the New Valley Governorate in Upper Egypt. The palace belonged to a person named Sornius. The Ministry of Antiquities said the palace cannot be opened to the public due to erosion,... »

An Egyptian court ruled on Wednesday that Egypt’s Minister of Antiquities Zahi Hawass is innocent of charges against him. The minister is currently in the United States on a speaking tour. In April, Hawass was sentenced to one-year in jail in a dispute over a bookstore at the Egyptian Museum. He was also fined by the... »