Three years after it was damaged following unrest sparked by the ousting of former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, the Malawi Museum in the Upper Egyptian city of Minya has been restored in order to re-open in mid-August, Nevine El-Aref reports. Looters who broke into the Museum in 2013 made off with 1,050 artefacts and damaged showcases, colossi and sarcophagi, objects too difficult to remove from the premises. Thus far, 900 artefacts have been recovered, according to Elham Salah, head of the Museums Sector at the ministry of antiquities. Some were handed over by local residents, while others were dropped off at the Museum gardens. A third group was recovered from abroad after being smuggled out of the country. Minister of antiquities Khaled El-Enany visited the Museum earlier this week in order to inspect the restoration work and preparation towards the re-opening. He told the Weekly that the restoration had cleaned walls and floors, replaced damaged materials, and renewed showcases. The large pieces that were damaged in the looting have been restored, as well as the recovered objects, and both will be returned to their original display in the Museum. Salah said the restoration work had been carried out by the National Service Agency of the army under the supervision of the ministry of antiquities. A budget of LE3 million was provided by the Minya governorate.
