ECHO@e-c-h-o.org
  
An Update on the state of Egyptian Cultural Heritage
The Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) has now officially been disbanded; on January 30th 2011 Dr Zahi Hawass was appointed Minister of Antiquities in the newly formed Ministry of State for Antiquities Affairs (MSAA). The exact structure and appointment of other officials within this new ministry are still to be announced. Just what shape this re-structuring programme will take is uncertain at present and many people are still continuing to fulfil the duties they held in the old SCA. It is also uncertain if Dr Hawass will remain as the minister in the governmental restructuring that is continuing to shape the new Egypt, one that is moving forward into an exciting new future.

A demonstration by employees of the old SCA was held outside their headquarters in Zamalak on the 10th February. The lower paid employees of the old SCA were demanding better wages, contracts and the appointment of seasonal employees. Another of their demands was steps to modernise the structure of the SCA and the removal of the culture ministry's supervisor, who supervises the construction work of the National Museum of Civilization, the Grand Egyptian Museum and the rehabilitation project of historic Cairo. These protests continued and on Valentine’s Day about 150 graduates from various archaeology departments were demonstrating outside the headquarters in the hope of gaining employment through the installation of a meritocracy and accusing the ministry of cronyism and corruption. Their argument is that Egypt's tourism industry is a major source of foreign currency but it is unclear how exactly the income is spent. These protests against the old system appear to be part of a wider move by Egyptians to air their opinions about the way their government has been run for the past three decades. These demonstrations finally toppled President Hosni Mubarak and now the shaping of how the country and its new systems of government are to be run will be decided during a series of negotiations and the next elections in September.

On meeting these protestors Zahi Hawass announced that procedures to increase the salaries were taken in January. As for the appointment of new temporary employees, he said this will be studied once the country is stable, archaeological sites reopened and the tourists had returned. He went on to say that the culture ministry's supervisor is no longer involved in any of the relevant projects. In a further response to these demonstrations, on the 23rd February Dr Hawass released a statement revealing that he has found the funds to hire 900 new recruits, which will be composed of the best of the current group of job applicants. This first phase of recruitment will provide the newly hired archaeologists and conservators paid training within the Ministry for a period of five months. A second phase will provide the same paid training programme for a further 500 recruits, and will be followed by a third phase in which 500 more graduates will be hired and trained.

The eventual shape and structure of the Ministry of Antiquities will probably not be settled until after the elections in September and the installation of a new government. There has been long-term and widespread support for this fledgling ministry going back several years. This ministry could boost not only the profile of archaeology in a country highly dependent on tourism, but as the money raised through gate takings does not have to be shared with the other cultural elements, such as fine arts and opera as was done under the auspice of the old Ministry of Culture, could lead to better wages and more efficient working conditions for the inspectors and other ministry workers. In the current financial climate one must ask how long before archaeology graduates and students demonstrate outside Western cultural heritage institutions for better pay, a meritocracy to be enforced and corruption, sexism, ageism and cronyism (rather than the entrenched biases, old school tie regimes and corporate agendas) to be eliminated.

Now that a new wind seems to be flowing through Cairo complete disclosure of the actual state of Egyptian Cultural Heritage may be expected and total openness towards the international community leading to international cooperation. The 1954 Hague UNESCO Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict which Egypt has ratified sets out protocols for guarding cultural heritage in the event of civil unrest including mandatory contacts between the antiquities service and military, as well as specific training of personnel on the protection of cultural property. The speed at which events happened at the end of January could not have been predicted, and it seems that the military were soon employed in protecting the majority of cultural property. The shear amount of cultural heritage in Egypt makes this an enormous operation, far greater than in most countries. Many lessons are to be learned from the events in Egypt, and far more from those in Iraq, for which the Western military forces and governments shall forever be held accountable for the lack of protection they afforded cultural property. It is not enough to protest that ‘we never ratified the convention’, for that just deepens the shame of those countries.

The assessment of the damage to the objects in the Egyptian Museum following the 29th January break-in by looters is still continuing but preliminary reports are now emerging. The team of conservators divided the objects into several categories, from those that need no conservation work to those that need substantial restoration. The conservation team are now busy repairing the damaged objects, a task that Zahi Hawass estimates will take only a few weeks. The Egyptian Museum remains closed and guarded by an army unit, while MSAA employees search the museum and its garden. Efforts are also underway to improve the building’s security. Hawass revealed on the 12th February that eighteen important objects were missing from the Egyptian Museum. Those included two gilded statues of King Tutankhamen as well as a statue of Queen Nefertiti. Investigations are continuing to try and find these missing pieces and bring the criminals responsible to justice.
  1. Gilded wooden statue of King Tutankhamun being carried by the Goddess Menkaret
  2. Gilded wooden statue of King Tutankhamun standing on a papyrus skiff harpooning. Only the torso and upper limbs of the king are missing
  3. Limestone statue of King Akhenaten holding an offering table
  4. Statue of Queen Nefertiti making offerings
  5. Sandstone head of an Amarna princess
  6. Stone statuette of a scribe with a duplex hairstyle from Amarna
  7. Wooden shabti statuettes from Yuya (11 pieces)
  8. Heart Scarab of Yuya
These further investigations of the grounds and the museum itself found several missing artefact had been thrown into trash cans and corners far from their original locations. The heart scarab of Yuya (8) was found in the gardens on the west side of the museum, near the new bookshop. Fragments belonging to the damaged New Kingdom wooden coffin, still situated on the second floor of the museum, were also found in this area. One of the eleven missing shabtis of Yuya (7) was discovered underneath a showcase and the figure of the goddess Menkaret carrying Tutankhamun (1) has also been recovered, but not that of the boy king himself. A teenage boy who had been protesting in Tahrir Square found the statue of Akhenaten (3) near the southern wall of the museum, and took it home. The boy's family immediately called the Ministry of Antiquities to arrange for the statue's safe return to the Cairo Museum. Although the statue was missing its offering table, this had been found in the museum a few days before and the two pieces are now being reunited in the museum’s conservation laboratories. The search of the museum and its grounds was a slow process as entry to the museum was restricted by the military, resulting in groups of 10 to 15 people accompanied by police conducting the search. A final inventory of missing and damaged pieces will not be released until a full and thorough search of the museum and its grounds has been completed and all of the damaged vitrines inventoried.

Previous reports that the Memphis Museum had been looted now appear to have been incorrect. Although there have been claims and counter claims on the extent of looting in the Memphite pyramid fields, it appear that the tombs of Maya Tutankhamun’s Treasurer, Maia Tutankhamun’s Wet Nurse and Mereruka have not been damaged as previously reported by some news outlets. The Association of National Committees of the Blue Shield and the International Military Cultural Resources Work Group reports that the Tomb of Maya, King Tutankhamun’s Treasurer, has clear signs of vandalism in the form of broken locks and broken pieces of wood, but appears to be intact. That of Tia & Tia has the relief cupboards unlocked, but all appears to be safe. However, that looting occurred at both Abusir and Saqqara has now been confirmed. At Saqqara, the tomb of Hetepka was broken into, and the falsedoor was stolen along with objects stored in the tomb. The Tomb of Kagemeni had its security door opened by vandals but it is now welded shut, supposedly no damage had occurred. At Abusir, a portion of the falsedoor from the tomb of Rahotep was stolen. Break-ins have also been confirmed at a number of storage magazines, including ones in Saqqara, such as the one near the pyramid of Teti, and the magazine of Cairo University. The extent of the illicit digging at Saqqara and Abusir has not been fully ascertained, but has been confirmed, with the guards saying that the looters only managed to dig 0.5 m deep and that the holes have now been filled back in. Excavating a 0.5 m deep pit in Abusir or Saqqara could quite easily uncover some fascinating archaeology, although not sufficient to completely uncover a stone mastaba, elements of one could easily have been uncovered. The Egyptian military caught and released thieves attempting to loot the site of Tell el Basta; the military also caught criminals trying to loot a tomb in Lisht. There have also been many reports of attacks on other archaeological sites in the form of illicit digging and the building of illegal houses. A report from the chief of the tourist police claims that looters have entered the storage magazine in Tuna el Gebel. This report indicated that two mummies dating to the Roman era were missing. In another report, it appears that De Morgan’s Magazine at Dahshur was broken into on the night of the 11th February and again a few days later. This magazine contains large blocks and small artefacts from this important Old Kingdom site. After the first break-in Hawass expressed his concerns that Egypt was not safe from looters. An initial assessment reported only small amulets were taken, but a much fuller inventory now needs to be undertaken after the second break-in where these criminals overpowered the guards to get to the antiquities. The entrance has now been walled up. Five more objects, stolen from the Qantara East storage facility have been found in the desert by the local police, presumably dropped like the Cairo Museum antiquities by fleeing looters.

It is likely that it will take several weeks before a clear picture emerges of the losses outside of the Cairo region. Several important sites are located in the Nile Delta or in the Eastern and Western Deserts, and as of yet only very brief reports have filtered through as to their integrity. Dr Hawass has created a committee to prepare a report to determine what is missing from these magazines. The sector heads in the Ministry of State for Antiquities Affairs will prepare full reports on the extent of damage at the various archaeological sites under their jurisdiction. The vast majority of archaeological sites do not contain ‘treasures’, being made up of mud-brick architecture, thousands of potsherds and the odd stone elements. These are of enormous value to archaeologists trying to understand past cultures but are worthless on the antiquities market. According to Hawass many local villagers think that a substance they call red mercury is found in mummies throats, thinking it has magical powers and can be used to summon spirits. The futile search for this imaginary substance can cause great damage to the fragile human remains if looters enter a cemetery. Having excavated many hundreds of ancient Egyptian burials the only substance that is likely to be encountered is bitumen and other herbal substances used to pack the mummy.

The modern approach to international cooperation is to concentrate on collective self-interest and inequality. Increasing security at sites on its own is not enough to protect them. Site management must involve the local community for various reasons, one being improved security. The exclusion of the local population can lead to the local people feeling disenfranchised and a growing resentment. The loyalty of guards and other employees cannot simply be bought, the heritage managers need to actively involve these people in the site protection. People are the most vulnerable link in the site management chain. Funding and education for these local communities is one of the best means of protecting the collective self-interest, connecting the local population with the global community. All archaeological missions working in Egypt, whether they are Egyptian or international have a duty to engage in community archaeology and out-reach programmes, where the local population are educated about their ancestors that lived there before them and suggestions made about the legal economic avenues open to them from their local heritage. In this way local folklore can be dispelled and a further sense of respect for the ancestors can be installed. At many sites this respect is already being visibly demonstrated by local people guarding their sites. The respect that already exists can be further strengthened by community archaeology programmes and the welcoming of local initiatives to actively engage in the presentation of sites. A programme of community archaeology was recently designed and accepted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) by ECHO’s president Prof. Fekri Hassan for Dahshur, which members of the old SCA were implementing until the current situation arose. It is hoped once this community programme is finished closer community involvement with the site and a greater understanding of its importance can be gained and therefore greater protection for the site will result.


The Bent and Red pyramids of King Sneferu at Dahshur, Dynasty IV.

At Giza for example, the population surrounding the pyramid field has only grown-up due to the tourist trade and, even though they are well aware of the importance of the site, insist on encroaching upon it. World Heritage Listing stipulates a 1 km buffer zone around the sites, which is obviously not observed and may result in the complete removal of the illegal modern development. Although they are not building on areas where archaeology is visible, and from which they make their living, there are football pitches and cemeteries over areas of unexcavated archaeology. This has resulted in a wall being built to protect the site. At other sites, such as Lisht or Hierakonpolis that do not attract many tourist visits and also have little in the way of site management the local population is also encroaching, either by building cemeteries or expanding fields. At Hierakonpolis Dr Renée Friedman and her team continually have to conduct rescue archaeology due to encroachment from local farmers, rather than research-led archaeology at the part of the site she wants to investigate. At Lisht massive encroachment on the site by the local population takes the form of a modern cemetery coming right up to the pyramids. Working with the local communities, assigning areas that are not archaeologically sensitive for cemeteries, village development and fields, as well as greater education about the past and inclusion in the site management is one of the most effective ways of promoting the collective self-interest and leads to greater preservation of the cultural heritage. The heritage sector needs to provide more funds for such community archaeology if it is to actively engage in the collective self-interest and tackling inequality.


Modern encroachment on the pyramid of Amenemhet I at Lisht, Dynasty XII.

The Egyptian authorities and population are keen to open sites and museums and resume normal tourist activities now that Hosni Mubarak has stepped down and elections look likely to be held in September. All of the Pharaonic, Coptic, Islamic and modern sites along with six of the antiquities museums, including the Cairo Museum reopened to the public on 20th February 2011 and flights are now returning to normal. According to the Tourism Ministry tourism generated $10.76 billion in income last year. Cultural tourism is essential for the whole sector, for without the country’s antiquities many tourists would not even consider travelling to Egypt, although the Red Sea resorts attract many sun and sand leisure tourists who do not see a temple or pyramid. Many people are dependent on these two types of tourism for their income. As well as the many jobs in the formal economy the poor also profit from this vast tourist industry as part of an informal economy. Along with national pride in Egypt’s cultural heritage this economic dependency on cultural tourism is motivating many to protect their heritage from being damaged or even destroyed as well as protecting their source of income.

The plight of the Egyptian people and Egypt’s heritage has dominated world headlines over the past month, leading to several initiatives being established. Many international bodies are already in place to help combat the illicit trade in antiquities, and it is to these bodies that have a long history of dealing with such matters that we should now turn. The international heritage sector, along with NGOs must work with their Egyptian colleagues to formulate strategies. As individuals and archaeologists there are certain things that we can do, many of these measures are highlighted in the ECHO Code of Ethics. However, this is not to say that new ideas to thwart trafficking of stolen Egyptian objects are not welcome, for it should not just be left to the official bodies and individual agency can make the difference in the fight against crime.

Cultural heritage and the threats to it can only be fully understood if it is contextualised in its modern political, socio-economic and environmental surroundings. As set out in the ECHO Code of Ethics archaeologists from all over the world have a responsibility to help protect cultural heritage from all types of threats, but this must be done through listening and discussing it with those involved in the home countries. There are already many skilled young Egyptian archaeologists who need to be encouraged and helped to further develop their talents and hone their specialities in finds processing, archaeobotany, zooarchaeology, geoarchaeology, bioarchaeology, heritage management and other specialist fields. Although many countries are still trying to recover after the banking crisis, another of the long-term means of helping to protect Egypt’s cultural heritage is by offering post-graduate scholarships and internships within the scientific/academic institutions in the USA, Europe, Japan and elsewhere. Other means include holding fieldschools within Egypt and producing archaeology and cultural heritage management books or translating already published books into Arabic.

If any Egyptian antiquities are offered for sale that have a dubious provenance it is the responsibility of the security forces, customs agents, art dealers, collectors and local populations everywhere in the world to do their utmost to recover these invaluable pieces, and report the sellers straight away to the proper authorities. This is an act of collective self-interest and is also an act of solidarity. Egypt’s heritage is a key component of humanity's history not just an integral part of Egypt's identity. It must not be allowed to vanish into unscrupulous hands, the criminals that have stolen any Egyptian artefacts must not be allowed to profit from their crimes. The Director-General of the UNESCO Irina Bokova has called for increased vigilance from national and international authorities, art dealers and collectors following the theft of several important artefacts from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and other sites throughout the country. If you suspect that an antiquity is looted or you see any looting taking place you should contact the police, the Art Loss Register on www.artloss.com, Interpol on www.interpol.com, World Customs Organization (WCO), the International Centre for the Study and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) on www.iccrom.org/ or the SCA (0020(2)7365645 or 0020(2)6859253), failing that you can contact Dr Marina Apaydin, Deputy Director Management, UNESCO World Heritage Centre at m.apaydin@unesco.org, the secretary of the International Committee of Egyptology (CIPEG) in the International Council of Museums (ICOM) at g.pieke@googlemail.com, Saving Antiquities for Everyone (SAFE) on cho@savingantiquities.org or ECHO (www.e-c-h-o.org) on egyptianheritage@yahoo.co.uk and we will notify the correct legal authorities on your behalf. Our friends at Looting Matters will also be monitoring this situation very closely.

ECHO as a friend of Egypt and the Egyptian people stand ready in any way it can to help during this historic period of social and political change.