Egypt, S.Arabia step up trade ties through coordination council talks    Egypt reviews progress on $200m World Bank-funded waste management hub    Egypt urges Israel to accept Gaza deal amid intensifying fighting    SCZONE showcases investment opportunities to eight Japanese companies    Egypt, ADIB explore strategic partnership in digital healthcare, investment    SCZONE, Tokyo Metropolitan Government sign MoU on green hydrogen cooperation    Egypt welcomes international efforts for peace in Ukraine    Al-Sisi, Macron reaffirm strategic partnership, coordinate on Gaza crisis    Contact Reports Strong 1H-2025 on Financing, Insurance Gains    Egypt, India's BDR Group in talks to establish biologics, cancer drug facility    AUC graduates first cohort of film industry business certificate    Egyptian pound down vs. US dollar at Monday's close – CBE    Egypt's FM, Palestinian PM visit Rafah crossing to review Gaza aid    Egypt prepares unified stance ahead of COP30 in Brazil    Egypt recovers collection of ancient artefacts from Netherlands    Egypt harvests 315,000 cubic metres of rainwater in Sinai as part of flash flood protection measures    Egypt, Namibia explore closer pharmaceutical cooperation    Fitch Ratings: ASEAN Islamic finance set to surpass $1t by 2026-end    Renowned Egyptian novelist Sonallah Ibrahim dies at 88    Egyptian, Ugandan Presidents open business forum to boost trade    Al-Sisi says any party thinking Egypt will neglect water rights is 'completely mistaken'    Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile measures, reaffirms Egypt's water security stance    Egypt's Sisi, Uganda's Museveni discuss boosting ties    Egypt, Huawei explore healthcare digital transformation cooperation    Egypt's Sisi, Sudan's Idris discuss strategic ties, stability    Egypt to inaugurate Grand Egyptian Museum on 1 November    Greco-Roman rock-cut tombs unearthed in Egypt's Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Egypt battling for more relics after Louvre success
Published in Daily News Egypt on 11 - 10 - 2009

CAIRO: Many relics from ancient Egypt remain in foreign museums and Cairo is struggling to persuade other countries to send them back, like France which agreed to return a set of 3,000-year-old wall painting fragments.
"It is the Egyptian people's right to see works of art from their country's civilization, said Abdel Halim Nureddin, a former head of Egypt's antiquities authority.
The vast majority of Egyptians "do not have the money for a plane ticket to see the Rosetta Stone in London, he said.
A special commission of the French museums' agency decided on Friday to hand over the five fragments after ruling that they were stolen in the 1980s before ending up at the Louvre in 2000 and 2003.
But a number of the world's most famous museums are clinging on to collections of priceless Egyptian antiquities from the time of the Pharoahs, many of them acquired during British colonial rule.
The Rosetta Stone, famous for helping the understanding of Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics by showing the same information in three different scripts, has been on display at the British Museum since soon after its 1799 discovery.
Cairo wants that back and is also seeking the return from Berlin of the 34-centuries-old bust of Queen Nefertiti that was discovered on the banks of the Nile.
Other artifacts that Egypt would like to regain include the Dendera Zodiac from the Louvre, a bust of pyramid builder Ankhaf from the Boston Museum of Fine Art, and a statue of architect Hemiunu, currently in the Roemer und Pelizaeus Museum in Hildesheim, Germany.
France decided to return the wall painting pieces after Zawi Hawass, the current head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, announced on Wednesday that Cairo was halting cooperation with the Louvre until the relics were sent back.
Egypt has previously severed relations with other museums, including St Louis in the United States, but it was the first time it had taken a stand against an institution as prestigious as the Louvre.
The fragments, known as steles, "must return to Egyptian territory because they are "part of the cultural heritage and are "very important from a scientific viewpoint, said Jihane Zaki, director of international cooperation at the antiquities authority.
The relics, from the tomb of an 18th dynasty dignitary in the Valley of the Kings, "should never have left their place of origin, Louvre president Henri Loyrette admitted.
The victory owes much to a campaign by Hawass, who has fought since his appointment in 2002 for the return of Egyptian antiquities.
"Everything which was stolen from us should be given back, he demanded in January.
However, the restitution of the fragments, measuring 15 centimeters (six inches) wide and 30 cm (one foot) high, does not necessarily herald the return of the other more significant artifacts.
"Everyone agrees on the principle that Egypt should have control of all historic relics, but the "procedures are debatable, according to a European diplomat in Cairo.
The museums base their approach on the 1970 UNESCO convention on illicit trafficking in works of art, which exempts transfers carried out before the convention was drawn up.
For instance, Hawass says the bust of Nefertiti was covered in clay and shipped secretly to Germany following its discovery by German archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt in December 1912.
But Berlin insists it acquired the bust legally in 1913 and says any relocation of the "fragile sculpture would be risky.
Egypt has threatened to refuse to allow other antiquities to be taken to Germany unless Nefertiti is sent on loan, but the stand has so far been ineffective.


Clic here to read the story from its source.