Egypt Opens Tomb of Amun Scribe in Luxor

A depiction from the inside of the tomb (Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities)
A depiction from the inside of the tomb (Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities)
TT

Egypt Opens Tomb of Amun Scribe in Luxor

A depiction from the inside of the tomb (Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities)
A depiction from the inside of the tomb (Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities)

Egypt has opened the tomb of Neferhotep, known as the ‘scribe of Amun’ in the Al-Khokha area on Luxor’s West Bank.

Sunday’s opening followed a 25-year restoration project in collaboration with the Argentinian expedition from the Buenos Aires University.

The opening ceremony was attended by Mostafa Waziry, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Gonzalo Urriolabeitia, Argentina’s ambassador to Cairo, as well as officials and archeologists from both countries.

“Today's opening of the tomb adds a significant new tourist destination to the attractions of Luxor's West Bank, particularly amidst the surge of tourists to the country during the winter season,” said Waziry, noting that the tomb displays beautifully painted scenes and inscriptions.

Dating back to the 18th Dynasty, during the era of king Ay (1327 to 1323 B.C.), the burial chamber belongs to a major stateman named Neferhotep, who held many titles that indicate a higher social status, including ‘the scribe of great Amun’, according to Mohammed Abdel-Badie, head of the Central Administration for the Antiquities of Upper Egypt.

The restoration of the tomb began in 2000. Experts from the University of Buenos Aires recorded and studied the texts in the tomb before starting their work. But the actual restoration began in 2013 when a German archaeological team cleaned wall paintings in the tomb, and mended damaged stonework and layers of color on inscriptions, said Fathi Yassin, director general of antiquities in Upper Egypt.

The studies of the old paint showed that Ancient Egyptian mural painters used dyes, along with Arabic resin, as a color medium in the tomb, said Yassin in statements during the opening.

Al-Khokha is one of several cemeteries dedicated to ancient Egyptian statemen; they are characterized with walls featuring full records of the daily habits, religious beliefs, and political and military life at the time. They also shed lights on the architecture and funerary arts in Ancient Egypt.



Japan’s Sado Mines Added to World Heritage List

This photo taken on May 9, 2022 shows a mine on Sado island. (AFP)
This photo taken on May 9, 2022 shows a mine on Sado island. (AFP)
TT

Japan’s Sado Mines Added to World Heritage List

This photo taken on May 9, 2022 shows a mine on Sado island. (AFP)
This photo taken on May 9, 2022 shows a mine on Sado island. (AFP)

A network of mines on a Japanese island infamous for using conscripted wartime labor was added to UNESCO's World Heritage register Saturday after South Korea dropped earlier objections to its listing.

The Sado gold and silver mines, now a popular tourist attraction, are believed to have started operating as early as the 12th century and produced until after World War II.

Japan had put a case for World Heritage listing because of their lengthy history and the artisanal mining techniques used there at a time when European mines had turned to mechanization.

The proposal was opposed by Seoul when it was first put because of the use of involuntary Korean labor during World War II, when Japan occupied the Korean peninsula.

UNESCO confirmed the listing of the mines at its ongoing committee meeting in New Delhi on Saturday after a bid highlighting its archaeological preservation of "mining activities and social and labor organization".

"I would like to wholeheartedly welcome the inscription... and pay sincere tribute to the long-standing efforts of the local people which made this possible," Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said in a statement.

The World Heritage effort was years in the making, inspired in part by the successful recognition of a silver mine in western Japan's Shimane region.

South Korea's foreign ministry said it had agreed to the listing "on the condition that Japan faithfully implements the recommendation... to reflect the 'full history' at the Sado Gold Mine site and takes proactive measures to that end."

Historians have argued that recruitment conditions at the mine effectively amounted to forced labor, and that Korean workers faced significantly harsher conditions than their Japanese counterparts.

"Discrimination did exist," Toyomi Asano, a professor of history of Japanese politics at Tokyo's Waseda University, told AFP in 2022.

"Their working conditions were very bad and dangerous. The most dangerous jobs were allocated to them."

Also added to the list on Saturday was the Beijing Central Axis, a collection of former imperial palaces and gardens in the Chinese capital.

The UNESCO committee meeting runs until Wednesday.