CAIRO - Committed archaeologists throughout the nation are appealing for help. They are not complaining of personal woes, but very concerned about the vulnerability of archaeological sites in Egypt. They said that the nation's archaeological wealth was never previously in jeopardy as it has actually been since the January 25 revolution. Criminals have taken advantage of the country's general state of chaos and inadequate security system at these sites, whether on the Giza Pyramids Plateau, on the legendary west bank of Luxor - ancient Thebes - or less important sites in other localities. Three days after the outbreak of the uprising, the world renowned Egyptian Museum of Antiquities was the first place to have been plundered, where more than 50 items were later reported missing. Archaeologists are today pressing for the prompt naming of a minister or head of an antiquities authority since the position is still vacant although the Interim Government of acting Prime Minister Essam Sharaf was sworn in more than ten days ago. Various archaeological departments are said to be totally paralysed by the absence of a decision-maker to run antiquities affairs, such as exhibitions and on-site excavations. The responsibility for this vital sector was for years assigned to the Culture Minister financially speaking, although the head of the antiquities authority was directly in charge of technical matters. However, with the formation of the new Interim Cabinet, calls have been voiced to separate culture from antiquities. Despite the positive response on the part of the premier Sharaf, the portfolio is still vacant. The looting scenario that is being enacted almost on a daily basis has set the alarm on the potential loss of the country's heritage that is finding its way into the hands of local and foreign dealers. According to Mohamed Abdel-Maqsoud, Director of Upper Egypt Antiquities, Luxor is the goldmine that lures thieves, who realise that they would find no better time than today to plunder tombs and storehouses. He remarked that the recent armed attack on the storehouse of Imenhoteb III Temple on the west bank had caused panic and put the work of 200 excavation missions in Egypt at stake. Although the robbers were apprehended 24 hours after the attack with two granite statues in their possession, the situation in other sites is still insecure. One problem is that a conflict has erupted between archaeologists and academics in faculties of archaeology regarding leadership of the archaeological sector. In statements to Al-Akhbar semi-official newspaper Abdel-Halim Nour Eddin former chairman of the Antiquities Authority argued that the professional background of the person in charge is not as important as the mechanism that has to be adopted as fast as possible to protect the nation's archaeological wealth. He estimated that, unless a decisive step is taken, every archaeological site in Egypt would be penetrated within one month. In his view there has to be on-site armed protection suggesting the training of five to six thousand members affiliated to the security department of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA). According to the current system, guards appointed on excavation and antiquities-rich sites are armed with sticks only, since the task is basically left to the Tourism and Antiquities Police. Nour Eddin suggested the reassessment of security at museums to avoid loopholes especially in view of the attack to which the Egyptian Museum was subjected on January 28. He regretted that the ongoing and degrading online war between SCA archaeologists and university professors about who is to be assigned the archaeological portfolio saying that the loser is none but national archaeology.
