Minister of Antiquities: 33,000 Egyptian Artefacts are Missing

Egyptian Minister of Antiquities Khaled Al-Anani stands beside
the collosus explaining new evidence pointing to it depicting
Psammetich I in Cairo, Egypt, March 16, 2017. Credit: Mohamed Abd El
Ghany/Reuters
Egyptian Minister of Antiquities Khaled Al-Anani stands beside the collosus explaining new evidence pointing to it depicting Psammetich I in Cairo, Egypt, March 16, 2017. Credit: Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters
TT
20

Minister of Antiquities: 33,000 Egyptian Artefacts are Missing

Egyptian Minister of Antiquities Khaled Al-Anani stands beside
the collosus explaining new evidence pointing to it depicting
Psammetich I in Cairo, Egypt, March 16, 2017. Credit: Mohamed Abd El
Ghany/Reuters
Egyptian Minister of Antiquities Khaled Al-Anani stands beside the collosus explaining new evidence pointing to it depicting Psammetich I in Cairo, Egypt, March 16, 2017. Credit: Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters

Minister of Antiquities Khaled al-Anani revealed that 33,000 ancient artefacts are missing.

"31,000 of the missed pieces are kept in the house of a citizen, who tried to register them, after the endorsement of the law that allows keeping antiquities under the supervision of the ministry, and bans selling or exploiting them,” Anani said during a parliamentary session.

“The best solution to protect antiquities against theft is to establish an electronic database, and we have already started working on it.”

Last year, the Ministry of Antiquities launched a campaign to save and renovate museums' depots in order to save the human heritage and protect Egypt's archaeological treasures against violations and thefts.

At that time, archaeologists and parliamentarians called on the Egyptian Minister of Antiquities to explain the details of monuments theft, and to identify the perpetrator and his punishment before the public.

Archaeological sources said: "There are many archaeological depots that have not been inventoried before, and thus, myriads of pieces have not been registered." Egypt has 72 depots, 35 of which are in museums, 20 for archaeological missions, in addition to 17 sub depots in different governorates.

For his part, Archaeologist Osama Ibrahim said: «Museum storehouses are not secure, and the disappearance of this large number of antiquities indicates that Egypt's archaeological heritage is not protected”, pointing out that the depots have seen deterioration and lack of protection, under a weak security system.”

Speaking about the returned pieces, the minister said: "This year, we returned 500 pieces from more than 10 countries, along with 800 pieces in the last year," adding that the pieces which were exhibited at international auctions, were bought from a merchant for two pound each in 1932.The Egyptian law allowed the trade of antiquities until 1983.

Anani highlighted that the international law obstructs the return of the Egyptian monuments stolen abroad, because of the UNESCO Convention signed by Egypt since 1970. However, it’s not true that 70% of the country’s antiquities are stolen, and the Convention requires the submission of any document proving the ownership of the pieces to return them to their original country."

Finally, he announced that part of the Grand Egyptian Museum will be partially open for public at the end of this year, and revealed that a new international discovery will be unveiled within the few coming weeks, along with opening of the first museum in Mersa Matruh.



Syria Seeks EU Help to Battle Massive Wildfires

FILE : A fire burns at a forest in Latakia province, Syria in this handout released by SANA on October 9, 2020. SANA/Handout via REUTERS
FILE : A fire burns at a forest in Latakia province, Syria in this handout released by SANA on October 9, 2020. SANA/Handout via REUTERS
TT
20

Syria Seeks EU Help to Battle Massive Wildfires

FILE : A fire burns at a forest in Latakia province, Syria in this handout released by SANA on October 9, 2020. SANA/Handout via REUTERS
FILE : A fire burns at a forest in Latakia province, Syria in this handout released by SANA on October 9, 2020. SANA/Handout via REUTERS

Syria’s minister of emergencies and disaster management on Tuesday requested support from the European Union to battle wildfires that have swept through a vast stretch of forested land.

The fires have been burning for six days, with Syrian emergency crews struggling to bring them under control amid strong winds and severe drought.

Neighboring countries Jordan, Lebanon and Türkiye have already dispatched firefighting teams to assist in the response.

“We asked the European Union for help in extinguishing the fires,” minister Raed al-Saleh said on X, adding Cyprus was expected to send aid on Tuesday, AFP reported.

“Fear of the fires spreading due to strong winds last night prompted us to evacuate 25 families to ensure their safety without any human casualties,” he added.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) office in Syria, the fires impacted “some 5,000 persons, including displacements, across 60 communities.”

An estimated 100 square kilometers (40 square miles) of forest and farmland -- more than three percent of Syria’s forest cover -- have burned, OCHA told AFP.

At least seven towns in Latakia province have been evacuated as a precaution.

Efforts to extinguish the fires have been hindered by “rugged terrain, the absence of firebreaks, strong winds, and the presence of mines and unexploded ordnance”, Saleh said.

With man-made climate change increasing the likelihood and intensity of droughts and wildfires worldwide, Syria has also been battered by heatwaves and low rainfall.

In June, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization said Syria had “not seen such bad climate conditions in 60 years.”