Egyptian Minister of Antiquities Zahi Hawas confirmed Youm7's scoop about the destruction of an ancient Pharaonic wall stele. The story was published on Wednesday. Hawass ordered a specialized committee to study the situation, promising he will announce the details of the incident after reviewing the final report. The manager of the Egyptian antiquities sector, Mohamed Abdel Fatah, said he formed a preliminary committee to preview the site of the destroyed wall in the town of Daryout, in the Upper Egypt governorate of Asyut. The committee, lead by the general manager of the archeological sites of Middle Egypt, Yehia Zakaria, mentioned in the report that the wall was destroyed. Abdel Fatah did not suspect that the quarry workers were responsible for the destruction. He said that erosion might have caused such deterioration. He said the committee will repair the possible parts immediately. Abdel Fatah confirmed he formed an expanded committee, lead by Dr. Atef Aboul Dahab, which will begin work next Monday. Zakria said the size of the damage is 150 by 120 cm. A source from the Ministry of Antiquities refused to believe that erosion was the cause of the destruction of the wall. The source said cynically, "Such statements remind me of what the former regime promoted after different disasters, such as electric diamonds being responsible for fires. The source confirmed the incident took place six months ago. Tourism and antiquities police received a complaint back in November 2010. The source wondered why the ministry did not move to repair the wall immediately. He demanded the suspension of the quarry, which represents a major threat to such antiquities. The source added that this is the third wall destroyed because of quarrying. The first was destroyed in 1928 and the second in 2004. The wall relief is one of 14 created under the reign of the Pharaoh Akhenaton, also known as Amenhotep IV.
