The Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, Cairo is being prepared for a grand celebration of its centenary. Since the museum was inaugurated on 15th November 1902, millions of people from kings, queens and emperors to commoners have walked the galleries of this treasure house viewing the world’s most famous collection of Egyptian antiquities. The Foundation Stone was laid on 1st April 1897 in the presence of Prince Abbas Hilmi and Gaston Maspéro.EGYPTIAN MUSEUM CENTENARY
Hidden treasures exhibition & improvements
by Keith GrenvilleA three-day festival from 9th to 11 December will mark the 100 years which will include a conference in the Cairo Opera House to be attended by museum directors and researchers from leading museums around the world. The highlight of the celebrations will be a special exhibition in the basement of the museum entitled "The Hidden Treasures of the Egyptian Museum" in which 300 objects which have been in storage for many years, will be displayed for the first time including 40 objects from the tomb of Tutankhamun comprising 30 gold amulets and items of jewellery which have never been seen before as well as Old Kingdom statuary, a limestone sphinx figure of Ramesses II and a 22nd Dynasty gold crown in the form of a cobra. Among the exhibits will be objects recovered from other countries.
The basement area, only used for storage is receiving attention for the first time. It is not only the fabric of the basement structure which requires restoration but the accumulated 30,000 artefacts, covered in 100 years of dust and cobwebs, are being moved, while some are being cleaned and prepared for display. Mr. Hussein Ahmed Hussein, in charge of the basement restoration said, "It was so filled with antiquities that it was difficult for our workers to get in at all . . . The place was swept, all the cracks had to be treated, and the walls were consolidated."
It is hoped that the fibre-optic lighting and display techniques to be installed will be more efficient than those used in the first floor jewellery rooms including the Tutankhamun gold room. In these areas, recent "improvements" have had a reverse effect and rendered many of the objects difficult to be viewed properly. It is reported that an Italian museologist has been contracted to reorganise and improve the main museum collection which will hopefully include positive re-assessment and improvement of lighting.
As part of the celebrations, a centenary logo is being designed, and a 40-minute film will document the history of the museum, also a set of postage stamps and special gold and silver coins will be minted. A long overdue visitor’s annexe to include a new shop and a conference facility is being planned as well as air-conditioning for the museum.
Recently, the Egyptian authorities advertised an international architectural competition for a new museum building. This, together with the proposed improvements to the present museum and with the adventurous and seminal Norwegian designed Bibliotheca Alexandrina would indicate that the Egyptian authorities are entering the third millennium with progressive attitudes and thinking. We greatly look forward to the results.
"DERBY DAY" IN THE DESERT
BOAT- LOADS OF TOURISTS GO DOWN THE NILE
MR. CARTER AS "SHOWMAN"LUXOR, Tuesday, January 25, 1923
To-day greater crowds than have ever before assembled at the treasure tomb of King Tutankhamen thronged there to witness the last removal of the antiquities from the outer chamber before the opening of the inner chamber, where it is hoped to find the body of the ancient Pharaoh.Five excursion boats made the journey of 450 miles to Luxor from Cairo down the placid waters of the Nile and emptied their great burden of tourists upon the historic Theban Plain at dawn. But, once arrived there, there were not sufficient donkeys, carriages, or sand-carts to take the visitors across the desert to the Valley of the Kings, so camels and oxen, patient beasts of burden in Egypt from immemorial time, were pressed into service.
The scene at the tomb awakened memories of Epsom Downs on Derby Day. The road leading to the rock-enclosed ravine, where the sovereigns of a long-forgotten age are ensepulchred deep down in the heart of the hills, was packed with vehicles and animals of every conceivable variety. the guides, donkey-boys, sellers of antiquities, and hawkers of lemonade were doing a roaring trade. Fabricated photographs of King Tutankhamen, sacred scarabs, miniature sphinxes, beads of "miraculous" properties, and spurious antiquities in unending variety were offered to the tourists at extravagant prices.
The immense crowd surrounding the tomb on all sides waited patiently under the burning sun for several hours. It was noticeable that the women outnumbered the men by four to one. Every one of them had a camera, and the whole battery of instruments was levelled at Mr. Carter like an array of machine guns as, shortly before noon, he emerged from the tomb with his assistants bearing a grotesque elongated cow built on the lines of a dachshund.
A REMARKABLE COW
The inanimate beast of gold and wood formed one of the sides of Tutankhamen’s imperial couch. It was far from being one of the Guernsey or Jersey variety of cow, for the body was as slender as a wolfhound, the tail was curled up in a perfect circle, and the head had the delicate lines of a deer.
"What is it - calf, donkey, goat, deer, or rocking-horse?" ejaculated the crowd.
"It is an Egyptian cow, 3,350 years old," explained Mr. Carter, with a smile. "It has guarded King Tutankhamen throughout his 33 centuries of sleep."The wooden effigy was then carefully laid to rest in a huge crate and carried away with all pomp and ceremony to the adjoining tomb of Seti II. A second cow was then brought out of the treasure vault, the brilliance of the gilding with which it was covered glistening in the bright sun with an iridescent light. Finally the beautifully-carved couch itself, designed especially to conform with the King's contour, was brought out. It was covered liberally with a protective solution and cotton padding, so that the crowd could but little appreciate the exquisite beauty of its design. The couch was laid like a piece of delicate bric-à-brac in a huge wooden case which it took eight men to carry.
It is probable that to-morrow will see the last removal of the reliquaries from the magic storehouse for the time being, as Mr. Carter is going to Cairo to meet Lord Carnarvon, and to make with him the final arrangements for the unsealing of the burial chamber. In the meanwhile the experts will be busy repairing, retouching, and conserving some of the more delicate antiquities in the tomb, which are beginning to show signs of disintegration after their long entombment.
When the last articles had been removed from the corridor of the tomb the newspaper correspondents began a spirited dash across the desert to the banks of the Nile upon donkeys, horses, camels, and in chariot-like sand-carts in a race to be the first to reach the telegraph offices, for there is neither a telephone nor a telegraph line from the sacred precincts of the ancient Egyptian tombs to the town of Luxor. The oldest valley known to history still remains aloof from the restless developments of the outer world, and neither aeroplane nor wireless has as yet penetrated its peaceful serenity. P.A. Foreign Special.
KING TO VISIT THE TOMB
LUXOR,Wednesday
King Fuad has ordered his private train to be refitted and repainted, and it is anticipated that he will travel in state to Luxor. Unlike his ancient predecessors, who crossed the river only when upon their pilgrimage of death, King Fuad will be taken in a high-powered British motor-car across the Theban plain to the towering cliffs which form the great gorge known as the Royal Necropolis.LUXOR, Feb. 11.
After an interlude of overcast sky, with a very high wind, almost a gale,making the river like a choppy sea, greatly disturbing the sand, and veiling the landscape, we have once more most glorious sunshine and a perfect blue sky.
Yesterday there was little activity of real interest at the tomb. Lord Carnarvon, accompanied by Lady Evelyn Herbert, arrived this morning by train from Cairo and was met by Mr. Carter with whom Lord Carnarvon went to the Valley of the Kings after lunch. During the morning, M. Pierre Lacau, Director-General of the Department of Antiquities, arrived and visited the valley. Among other visitors were Lord Leigh, Lady Juliet Trevor, Sir Phillip Sassoon, and Sir Louis Mallett. Those visiting the tomb to-day included Lord and Lady Granby, Mr. Mervyn Herbert, Mrs. Herbert, and the Sultana Malak, widow of the Sultan Hussein, who, accompanied by one of the Princesses, was paying her second visit. A TRIUMPHAL CHARIOT
To-day the work of removal has been resumed at the tomb in the presence of a remarkably small number of spectators. The removals included a magnificent chariot, quite the best of those which have been discovered. It is decorated with sheet gold, and inlaid in much detail with various stones and coloured glass. On the front part of the body are cartouches of the King, while on the inside, with other ornamental devices, are portraits of vassals, with the names of their conquered countries. The chariot, which was evidently the King’s triumphal chariot, is in excellent condition, the workmanship is of the finest, and the gold and stones glistened in the sunshine as it emerged from the tomb and was carried up the hill. With the chariot was a pole on which remained hanging a leopard’s skin which once covered the floor of the body of the chariot. Finally came a tray covered with a sheet, bearing two wheels. Owing to the delicate nature of the beautiful ornamentation of these wheels, it was considered advisable to cover them completely. The wheels belong to the fourth chariot, the body of which is completely broken. It will have to be removed in parts, and will require the most delicate handling owing to its fragile condition. This broken chariot, part of the harness of the Lion ceremonial couch, and two statues of the King are all that now remain out of the 167 principal objects found in the ante-chamber. While the work of clearing the various chests and boxes found in the ante-chamber of the tomb is undoubtedly exacting, at the same time it has consoling features. One of these assuredly resides in the uncertainty as top what each box contains, and the possibility that its clearance may disclose new treasures. As has already been explained, most of the boxes found in the ante-chamber were not opened before their removal from the tomb. Even when they were opened, only the articles which lay on the top were recorded, as their fragility prevented any attempt to see what was underneath until the covering article had received in the laboratory, proper preservative treatment, and its design and all details recorded. This is what has occurred in the case of the red box, the commencement of the clearance of which was reported a few days ago. When it was opened, all that could be seen was a large robe of woven tapestry fabric, on which was sewn a magnificent gold scarab buckle, the details of which were given in the dispatch of February 8. This robe has now been removed, and has already disclosed several things of the greatest interest. Among the items taken out are a number of beautiful faience libation vases in imitation lapis lazuli and bearing the King’s cartouche in yellow. A unique article of alabaster has also been found. It is Greek in form and is nothing less than a wine-strainer, the first of its kind ever found in relation to the Dynastic period. A SUPERB SPECIMEN But the gem of the articles so far disclosed is a large corselet in elaborate mesh of faience pennants, with gold clasps, ties, and ornamentation inlaid in glass in imitation of semi-precious stones. That corselets of this description existed was well known, as they figure among the mural decorations in the tombs of the kings and the chapels of nobles. But never before has the actual article itself been found, nor was its intricate detail or superb workmanship ever realized until the present specimen came to light. The advent of generally warmer weather has necessitated a slight modification of the working arrangements at the tomb. As previously mentioned, the carpenters’ shop has been set up at the cache, where also, is the staff dining—-room, just within the natural gateway to the sanctuary forming the Royal necropolis. The joinery work, however, has become so heavy that it has been found necessary to remove it to a place where there is more shade and where the operations will not disturb the staff when taking their very brief rest afforded by the midday meal. The carpenters’ shop has been transferred to the rock platform outside the tomb of Seti II, thus also greatly reducing the transport, since the cases can be made on the spot where they are wanted. What this means can be appreciated when it is mentioned that, in addition to the ten thousand feet of wood already obtained, a further large quantity has since had to be procured. The public should be warned not to believe some extraordinary stories which get into print purporting to emanate from Luxor. The latest of these is a tale of a wonderful papyrus, discovered in the tomb, giving the whole dramatic story of the ancient robbery of the tomb and its punishment, which is given prominence by some Egyptian newspapers. No such papyrus has been found, nor indeed, any papyrus whatever. The original press cuttings from which these reports are drawn,
together with some early photographs, were donated by Member Jim Willcocks, and are held in the Society’s archives.
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See the temple of Ramesses II ablaze in
colour, as it was in the day of Egypt’s longest-reigning Pharaoh. See the temple six
centuries later, hidden in the sands of Nubia, as it was when discovered by explorers in
the early 19th century. Then see this same temple, along with the temple of Ramesses’
Chief Wife Nefertari, dismantled and reborn on the banks of the newly-formed Lake Nasser.
It is all part of a
nightly show that has been staged at Abu Simbel’s temple complex since April 2000.
For the first time since the salvage of Nubia’s monuments, the temple is again in the
limelight with a newly-fashioned "Sound & Light" show.
Sound & Light
shows have long been offered at historical monuments like the Giza pyramids, Karnak and
Philae, but the new programme at Abu Simbel is a more modern and high-tech version of the
popular tourist attraction. The new programme uses computer simulation to depict the
history of the monuments, as well as the period in which this greatest and best-know of
kings, Ramesses II, lived.
The programme features his coronation, the battle of
Kadesh, his marriage ceremony, the construction of the temple and its official opening in
his reign. Views of other temples in Nubia, built by Ramesses II are also shown, including
Wadi el Seboua and Dakka. The programme includes interaction between Ramesses and the sun
god Ra, and also with Nefertari.
The two temple
facades and the surrounding rock formation comprise the huge ‘screen’ surfaces
for this highly impressive projection system. The projections, therefore, are more than 30
metres high and 60 metres wide.
Using computer
simulation, both temples are shown with their statues intact (some are partly damaged
today) and in their original colours. The four rock-cut colossi of Ramesses take on hues
of blue, red and yellow, long worn away by centuries of sandstorms. The same goes for the
nearby temple of Nefertari, said to be the only temple in ancient Egypt built by a pharaoh
for his wife.
Preparatory work
for the performance took one year and cost LE18.5 million. The project is a collaborative
effort between the Egyptian Sound & Light Company, the Supreme Council of Antiquities
and a Dutch company specializing in lighting. The music was commissioned from a Spanish
composer.
Apart from
people viewing from their cruise ships moored at Abu Simbel, spectators are seated in a
small, unobtrusive amphitheatre erected in front of Nefertari’s temple. Audience
members will be provided with headphones that provide translations in eight languages -
English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish and, of course, Arabic.
A Modern Mystery in Luxor
by Keith Grenville
Egypt has a multiplicity of ancient mysteries, but a modern mystery exists in the most central position in Luxor today. With hotels being built on every possible vacant space in the town and extending well beyond the town to the north and the south on the east bank of the Nile, it is remarkable to see a valuable wide-fronted site on the Corniche, facing the Nile just begging to be used for a superbly situated hotel. This large area, geographically in the centre of the Luxor Corniche is fenced off with ugly corrugated iron walls bearing strategically placed notices warning "Keep Out" in Arabic. Inexplicably, this has been the situation since 1993. Peering through the now rotting perimeter corrugated iron, only the ruins of the lower walls of the once pleasant Savoy Hotel reception and garden area can be seen.
This 108-room middle-range hotel boasted a pleasantly wide terrace, comfortably furnished, with a few steps down to a popular garden area with a pleasant view of the Corniche, the Nile and the Theban hills on the West bank. Over a drink, or reasonably priced food, visitors and local people could arrange to meet informally, chat and maybe arrange visits for the following day - all in a most convivial atmosphere. Though hawkers were kept away from the garden, it didn’t stop occasional touting by travel operators. Possibly built in the 1930’s the Savoy covered a large area and behind the main front building there existed a series of buildings in a circle around a large swimming pool. The surrounding fragrant garden with a pleasant mixture of trees, shrubs and flowers, was carefully tended by an elderly gardener who had probably spent most of his years under those shady trees. As a collector of amusing signs, I fondly recall a sign on the wall behind the reception counter reading "We have a safe for your precious".
The story is that the Savoy Hotel was sold to a new management several years ago. Like a new broom sweeping clean, the new owners unwisely decided to demolish the hotel, presumably intending to build another characterless block building so often the style of today. One has only to look at the New Winter Palace Hotel building on the Corniche of Luxor set in unflattering juxtaposition with the grand appearance of the original Winter Palace Hotel alongside. The New Cataract Hotel in Aswan is a similar example - and both belong to the top echelon of traditional hotels. Unfortunately, the new owners of the Savoy appear to have been unaware of the restriction order placed on their newly acquired hotel and commenced demolishing the building. Having half flattened most of the hotel the Luxor Council belatedly halted the operation. The circumstances surrounding the event are imponderable. Whether a heavy fine was imposed or any other penalty, I am unable to say, but it is obvious that the hotel can never be restored and remains a sad ruin hidden behind an unsightly disintegrating wall of iron for almost a decade. Presumably building plan procedures exist, and one would have thought the Luxor Council, situated literally a few metres away, would have been aware of the plans, and certainly of the operation once hotel business has ceased prior to demolition?
In 1992 I stayed at the 3-star Savoy on the tree-lined Corniche - a stone's throw from the bazaars, the Nile ferry to the West bank, and altogether one of the most conveniently placed Luxor hotels. I remained in the bustling, dusty town of Luxor for ten days and had a ground floor room with bathroom, air-conditioning, twin beds, television, telephone, a veranda with table and chairs and two steps down to the lawn and swimming pool. I couldn't ask for more. All of that cost me R80 per night - including breakfast! In those days that was R80, now we would say R160. When I was eventually due to check out and resume my journeying to El Minya and Tel el Amarna - it was obvious the hotel staff knew I was leaving and Saad, my conscientious "l'homme de chambre" ensured I appreciated how industriously he had worked on my behalf. Each morning, as the sun rose at about 5.45 (it was October), Saad could be heard gently brushing a feather duster over the veranda furniture and closed shutters of my room. On that last morning Saad's feather duster sounded as though it had hob-nailed tips rather than feathers as he vigorously spruced up the shutters and balcony. I was left with little doubt of his efforts on my behalf. As I emerged from my room he appeared like a jack-in-the-box from nowhere greeting me with a broad smile and shaking my hand - anxious that I wouldn't forget his baksheesh. The breakfast waiter's attention that same morning was concentrated on my every wish - the toast was freshly made, extra jam and honey and 3 different cheeses instead of the customary one were set on the table. Nothing was too much. I left hotel to continue my Egyptian travels, looking forward to future visits to the Savoy. Alas, it was not to be - the Savoy has gone and the forlorn ruins and wasted site remain a modern mystery.
IF ANYONE
IS INTERESTED I HAVE PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE DERELICT SITE
TAKEN IN SEPTEMBER 2006 - CONTACT
ME AT keithg@egypttoday.co.za
Akhenaten's
Appearance
by Keith Grenville
18th Dynasty pharaoh Amenhotep IV, later to call himself Akhenaten, created a temple dedicated to the Aten on the eastern side of the great temple to Amun at Karnak. This additional temple, called GEMPA-ATEN (meaning House of Aten), was torn down after Akhenaten's reign. Over 3,500 blocks (talatat) survive having been used by Horemheb as filling material for the 9th pylon at Karnak. The colossal statues of Akhenaten come from this temple.
The iconography of Akhenaten's monuments stress the king's role as the god Shu, the embodiment of air, light, sunbeams, and all life. A number of the sandstone colossi of Akhenaten found at east Karnak were originally crowned with the four feathers of Shu, one of the creator gods, while Akhenaten's enigmatic female characteristics in sculpture and relief work underscore the god Shu's dual nature at creation as both male and female. Akhenaten’s wife, Nefertiti, shared in this creative role as Tefnut, the female counterpart of Shu. In the Heliopolitan creation myth - Shu the god of air and Tefnut the goddess of moisture were created by the sun god Ra, and they, in their turn created the earth and sky.
The body of the statue shows the king with feminine attributes of wide hips, breast and full thighs which have encouraged a variety of possible causes from many scholars, ranging from hermaphroditism to Fröhlich's Syndrome. Males with Fröhlich's syndrome exhibit a feminine type of bodily fat distribution on the thighs, buttocks, breast and abdomen. However, a significant feature of Fröhlich's Syndrome is the person's inability to father children. Akhenaten’s Chief Wife Nefertiti, is known to have given birth to six daughters. It must surely be considered that the Pharaoh’s unusual features are an artistic convention rather than an accurate depiction of an unusual anatomy. In the artistic convention of the previous 2,000 years the Pharaoh was always shown in an ideal young physical form, regardless of his age. Indeed, it is important to note that representations of Akhenaten during the earlier part of his reign show him with quite normal features and in one image he was shown unshaven. Men suffering from Fröhlich's Syndrome are not able to grow facial hair. High-ranking court officials of this period were depicted in a similar manner with a pronounced "Amarna abdomen", one of note was the chief sculptor Bak. It can hardly be thought that members of the court suffered from a similar complaint to that of the king, or that they were shown in that manner to flatter the king's deformities. Later, tomb statues of Tutankhamun show evidence of this same artistic convention but not to such extremes.
What is the reason for this style? In a hymn to the Aten, versions of which are found in five Amarna period tombs, the sun-disc is addressed as 'mother and father of all that you made'. This is surely the core of Akhenaten's new religious philosophy. The Aten, as a disc, is neither male nor female but the creator of both. The king, as the earthly representation of the Aten, is shown with sexual duality symbolizing that he is both mother and father of his people.
Frequently, in the traditional religion, food and sustenance were said to be the gifts of the annual Nile inundation, personified by the strange figure of Hapi, who is shown with a protruding belly and pendulous breasts, bearing food in his hands. Everything points to the fecund life which is produced by the beneficent annual flood of the Nile. Akhenaten, as the living Aten, was now the provider of life and light and now it is Aten, and not Hapi, who provides the benefits of the Nile . In the hymns in which Akhenaten is praised by his subjects as an incarnation of Hapi the link becomes even more plausible. The following is from an Amarna tomb:
I propitiate him who
lives by truth,
The Lord of Diadems, Akhenaten,
Great in his lifetime.
O Hapi, by whose command
One is powerful
The food and nourishment of Egypt,
The vital ruler who forms me,
Makes me, fosters me...
Only in the iconography of Akhenaten’s time does a god have a cartouche, indeed, in
two cartouches alongside those of Akhenaten. This unique feature surely indicates that
Akhenaten and the Aten shared in the rule of heaven and earth?
Bibliotheca Alexandrina
by Keith Grenville
The fate of the original Great Library of Alexandria is shrouded in mystery. It was built during the reign of Ptolemy Soter, one of the Greek Ptolemies who ruled Egypt for the last 300 years of the first millennium BC. The library is said to have contained more than 500,000 texts from through-out the known world. After 245 BC, 120,000 scrolls were catalogued by Calimachus of Cyrene, who became librarian that year. Among the library’s alumni can be included Euclid, Archimedes, Philo, Plotinus and Plato. According to Seneca, Julius Caesar inadvertently set alight a book storage depot close to Alexandria harbour when he was under siege by Cleopatra’s brother Achilleas in the city in 47 BC. It is said he did not deliberately set the library ablaze, and the book store did not contain more than a fraction of the library collection.
Roman Emperor Theodosius I, in 385 AD, outlawed all teaching centres run by pagan philosophers causing the ancient library to be taken over by the Bishops of Alexandria who used the facilities to train aspirant priests in rhetoric and logic. The "Bishop’s School" was dissolved in 641 AD when Egypt was conquered by the Muslims. A fire broke out during the battle for the city - the conquering general is said to have ordered the rescue of the books coupled with instructions to destroy any that contradicted the Koran.
Fire was a common danger in ancient cities and the Alexandria library was threatened more than once. In additional to 641 AD, there were fires in the 300’s and 400’s when Alexandrian Christians rioted in response to theological arguments. Following each damaging fire before 641, the persons responsible for the library would have been able to replace the losses to a certain extent. There were, after all, other libraries in the Greek-speaking world.
Out of the ashes, the modern library grows - , when complete in late 2000, it will look magnificent on the 63,000 square metre site. The size of the bookshelves is the basic unit of the entire design, with the size of books therefore the basic unit of the building. The circular 10 storey building (32 metres), suggesting the disc of the sun, tilts forward at an angle of 20 degrees towards the sea to the north with the front part sunk below ground level. To the south, a windowless back wall of red granite from Upper Egypt will carry representative inscriptions in the varied scripts of the region. An imaginative use of light, facilitated by a complex arrangement of skylights which form the disk-like roof, will provide natural light at the same time deflecting the harsh Egyptian sun.
The future is symbolized by the two-thirds of the building that is above ground level, consigning the past 2,000 years to below ground. An assorted array of letters and symbols from all languages will be carved into a rough-hewn wall encircling the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. The budget for the project is $167 million from the Egyptian government, UNESCO and other subscribers.
The Bibliotheca Alexandrina’s $1.5m annual book budget is intended to lead to the creation of a collection numbering 8 million books by 2002, along with up to 4,000 newspapers and periodicals, 50,000 manuscripts and rare books, as well as 50,000 maps. Alongside the traditional collection, the library intends to amass up to 250,000 audio and audio-visual aids, as well as establishing links to overseas computer databases and permanent internet access.
The library is envisaged as a resource centre for the study of Mediterranean civilization and, like its famous ancestor, the library will be connected to a complex of scholarly facilities and museums. It is situated on the Corniche, near the city centre and the University of Alexandria’s arts faculty, close to the presumed site of the original library. The team of young Norwegian architects won an architectural competition with their earthquake-proof building, have also included in the complex a science museum, a calligraphy museum, a planetarium, a school of information science, exhibition areas and auditoria, a restoration and conservation laboratory and employment for a staff of 400.