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Bust of Italian Explorer Belzoni to be Unveiled in Egypt’s Luxor

Tourists and visitors queue outside the temple of Abu Simbel at the upper reaches of the Nile in Aswan, Egypt. (Reuters)
Tourists and visitors queue outside the temple of Abu Simbel at the upper reaches of the Nile in Aswan, Egypt. (Reuters)
    Luxor, London - Asharq Al-Awsat
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Bust of Italian Explorer Belzoni to be Unveiled in Egypt’s Luxor

Tourists and visitors queue outside the temple of Abu Simbel at the upper reaches of the Nile in Aswan, Egypt. (Reuters)
Tourists and visitors queue outside the temple of Abu Simbel at the upper reaches of the Nile in Aswan, Egypt. (Reuters)

A bust of Giovanni Battista Belzoni will be unveiled in Egypt’s Abu Simbel as part of the 200th anniversary of the discovery of the historical city by the Italian explorer.

Paolo Sabbatini, director of the Italian Cultural Center in Cairo, said the statue, which was designed in Luxor by Italian sculptor Walter Venturi, author of "The Great Belzoni," will be unveiled on October 19, as part of the International Research Conference, held by Italy in cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry of Culture.

The conference will highlight many of Belzoni's secrets and archaeological discoveries in Giza, Luxor and Aswan. It will be held with the participation of a group of Egyptology scientists from Italy, Egypt and some European countries.

Speaking to the German News Agency (dpa), Paolo said that the Belzoni bust will be the highlight of a special exhibition that features a collection of rare photographs of the Italian explorer and his journey in the field of excavation of Egyptian antiquities.

The exhibition will be managed by Egyptian researcher and historian Francis Amin, who has the largest collection of historical photographs that document various Egyptian temples and tombs, especially in Luxor.

The unveiling will be among a number of archaeological, cultural and artistic events that will be held in October to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Balzoni's discovery of the Abu Simbel temple in southern Aswan.

The city of Abu Simbel is expected to see a mass celebration on October 22, under the patronage of the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and with the participation of Italian and European artists and scientists specialized in Egyptology.

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World’s Oldest Llama Enjoys Comforting Chronically Ill Children in North Carolina 

This 2022 photo provided by Victory Junction shows llama Whitetop sitting at Victory Junction, a camp for chronically ill children, in Randleman, N.C. (Victory Junction via AP) 
This 2022 photo provided by Victory Junction shows llama Whitetop sitting at Victory Junction, a camp for chronically ill children, in Randleman, N.C. (Victory Junction via AP) 
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World’s Oldest Llama Enjoys Comforting Chronically Ill Children in North Carolina 

This 2022 photo provided by Victory Junction shows llama Whitetop sitting at Victory Junction, a camp for chronically ill children, in Randleman, N.C. (Victory Junction via AP) 
This 2022 photo provided by Victory Junction shows llama Whitetop sitting at Victory Junction, a camp for chronically ill children, in Randleman, N.C. (Victory Junction via AP) 

A bucktoothed llama that spends its days comforting chronically ill children at a North Carolina camp founded by NASCAR royalty has been crowned the world’s oldest llama in captivity.

At 27 years and more than 250 days, the selfie- and snuggle-loving llama called Whitetop dethroned Dalai Llama, the Guinness World Records announced last week. Dalai lived on a ranch in Albuquerque and was announced as the oldest in 2023 shortly after its 27th birthday.

Whitetop was donated to the Victory Junction camp in 2006, just two years after race car driver Kyle Petty — the son of NASCAR great Richard Petty — and his family founded the camp in honor of Petty's own son, Adam, who was 19 when he was killed in a 2000 crash while practicing for a race.

The year-round free camp sits on 84 acres (34 hectares) in the Petty hometown of Randleman, North Carolina, about 75 miles (121 kilometers) west of Raleigh. It’s designed for children with conditions that include cancer, kidney and heart disease, cerebral palsy, Spina Bifida and an array of neurological and physical disabilities.

Whitetop has become known for its relaxed, sweet and empathetic personality. His go-to move is to lie still while campers pet him, which can comfort children and give them important sensory input, said Billie Davis, the camp's barn director.

"He really gets to help campers come out of their shell when they interact with him," she said. "He can be kind of intimidating at first, but once they come over to him and love on him and pet on him, they just realize how sweet he is."

One of his best friends is a miniature highland cow named Gus-Gus, who tends to forget Whitetop is a llama and enjoys jumping on him. Whitetop also likes to roll in fresh wood chippings, chomp on soaked alfalfa and pose for selfies.

"If you try to take a picture of him from the side, he’s not into it," Davis said. "He will, like scoot in there and try to get his face from a side profile so that it’s like he’s cheesing."

Davis attributes Whitetop's long life to great veterinary care and exercise, as well as simply loving his job.

The average life span for a llama is 15 years, according to the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance.

Whitetop has developed arthritis in his twilight years but otherwise is very healthy, said Davis. And the only time the llama becomes upset is when Gus-Gus, along with two miniature donkeys named Jed and Jethro, leave him alone.

Stephanie Wilkerson, 33, first went to the camp’s family weekend in 2006 after she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. She said she was initially a little nervous around Whitetop but soon realized petting him and giving him hugs made her feel better.

"When I started stroking him more and more and more, I got more relaxed," said Wilkerson, who lives in Thomasville, North Carolina.

With Whitetop’s newfound fame in longevity, the camp has started selling limited edition T-shirts displaying Whitetop with sunglasses and the words, "Still Spit’n." The proceeds go to the camp.

Although Davis said Whitetop would like people to know not all llamas spit on you.

"Typically, llamas only spit when they are scared, uncomfortable or territorial over something," she said. "And he just loves his job so much that he doesn’t do it."