A scheme to redesign the venerable Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square as a museum of Pharaonic arts is getting the go-ahead, Nevine El-Aref reports In an attempt to preserve Egypt's priceless treasures, both stored and newly discovered, as well as to create the best environment for their display and to release the pressure in some overstuffed museums, the Ministry of Culture has placed Egypt's museums at the top of its priorities. The last few years have witnessed the inauguration of several new regional and national museums and the reopening of few others after restoration and development to bring them up to international standards and to match their counterparts abroad. The museums initiative also aims at transforming Egypt's museums into huge educational institutions that will teach visitors to be aware of the importance of preserving their shared cultural and historical heritage. Geared towards achieving the cultural, educational and institutional museums, Egyptian museums were divided into five main categories: regional, specialty, sites and non-Pharaonic museums. In addition to the three main Cairo museums: the Grand Egyptian Museum, the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation and the Egyptian Museum (EM) in Tahrir. With the building of the laboratory and the stores of the Grand Egyptian Museum overlooking the Giza Plateau, significant portions of the EM's original collections have been removed and the museum in Tahrir Square, regarded as the cornerstone of the museum network, will be dedicated to Pharaonic arts. To reach this goal the exquisite, neo-classical 19th-century façade of the EM will be redesigned, renovated and developed. To take its place as one of the principal players in the revitalisation of Egypt's museums, Culture Minister Farouk Hosni and Italian Minister of Culture Francesco Rutelli early this month signed a memorandum of understanding on the redesigning of the EM with a budget of 1,319,000 euros. Since its inauguration in 1902, the neo-classical edifice of the Egyptian Museum has been the home of all ancient Egyptian artefacts unearthed at the nation's archaeological sites. This has led to the overcrowding of its various galleries, even down to the basement which for most of its history had been a storeroom. Hosni told Al-Ahram Weekly that the redesigning project would transform the Egyptian Museum into a "cultural lighthouse" that would help Egyptians to "rediscover the meaning of their identity and the features of the Egyptian personality". It will also renew the museum as an educational institution that will help revive the cultural awareness of the Egyptian people. Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the project aimed at redesigning the museum both inside and out. "Redesigning the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir will re- envision the space in which the museum's collection will be displayed, and develop exhibitions with maximum educational impact on the public," Hawass said. A new scenario based on guidelines provided by the special committee and a detailed plan of the new displays within the exhibition space, including new showcases and an up-to-date lighting system, will be implemented. The committee will be responsible for studying both the structural and aesthetic problems related to the restoration, renovation and upgrading of the existing museum building in such a way as to seamlessly integrate the restoration of the existing building. The renovation will accommodate the modernisation of the museum's technological and structural facilities. Improvements to the museum's facilities will include the installation of new security and fire safety systems, as well as an air-conditioning system and a lighting system to include natural and artificial light sources. Updated communications technology will include connections for access to external and internal data networks. The plumbing and sanitation system will be also enhanced. A preliminary plan for the proposed enlargement of the museum, which will take into account the museum's position in its urban environment, will also be developed. Hawass said the project would also include the implementation of a number of training courses to enhance the professional skills of the museum's curators and restorers. The first of these courses will be a restoration and conservation training course designed to introduce the theoretical and practical aspects of restoration techniques used on wood, stone, leather, textiles, glass, metal and other materials. Other training programmes will enhance the staff's skills in information technology, documentation, photography and museology. Wafaa El-Saddik, director of the Egyptian Museum, said the project would also pay attention to personnel working in the museum's library and administration, and would enhance their skills in cataloguing procedures, services to patrons and the conservation of library materials. The first two students in this training programme will be offered a two-month internship at the Italian Centre of Restoration (ICR) in Rome. For his part, project coordinator Hisham El-Leithi said the museum's collection would be placed on display both thematically and chronologically to relate the history of ancient Egyptian art from the prehistoric period right through the late Pharaonic era. El-Seddik added that the redesigning project would last for a year beginning from the date of ratification of the convention signed between the Italian Directorate General for Development Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage. The two main components of the activities, master plan and training programmes, will be executed simultaneously. Each component will consist of a preparatory phase, an executive phase and a conclusive and audit phase.
