عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Features

Catacombs: A Youth Initiative to Invigorate Domestic Tourism

A tour of the pyramids organized by the Catacombs team
A tour of the pyramids organized by the Catacombs team
TT
TT

Catacombs: A Youth Initiative to Invigorate Domestic Tourism

A tour of the pyramids organized by the Catacombs team
A tour of the pyramids organized by the Catacombs team

Sherif Hashem, Hossam Zaidan, Mustafa Hazin, Ibrahim Mohamed, Ahmed Bahgat are Egypt’s new “adventurous five,” but they are not protagonists of a short story. They are founding members of the archaeological Catacombs initiative. Together raise their motto, “We open the doors of history,” which reflects their aim of raising archaeological awareness among Egyptians and invigorating domestic tourism.

Brought together by their shared enthusiasm for Egypt’s ancient heritage, they established the group just four months ago, when the five youths met at the opening of the Baron Empain Palace in Cairo. They organize tours, each of which is unique, that provide those who join them with the opportunity to discover the various facets of ancient sites, historical, archeological, artistic, and architectural. Their passion for archeology and history and their desire to raise awareness among Egyptians also compelled them to launch a Facebook page, Catacombs, to serve as a platform to share that passion with their compatriots and shed light on the country’s many precious sites and monuments.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat about the initiative, Hussam Zaidan, a member of the team, explained the rationale that drove them to join forces. “When I give a tour, I explain the sites’ archaeological and architectural significance. But I lack a historical background, so my explanation is incomplete. So, with our various specializations, historical, archeological, and civilizational, we complement one another, especially as we are planning to work professionally and on a large scale, which requires more precise information and a more in-depth explanation.

Another team member, Mustafa Hazin, continues the conversation. Discussing their various and distinctive initiatives, he says: “We saw that five minds coming together would allow us to enrich the content of our work. We have also launched novel activities. For example, we uploaded a live broadcast in which five individuals discuss a single site, allowing our audience to follow historical, archaeological discussions on Facebook. Such work has been well received by our followers and helped fuel our launch.”

Most Viewed

 
 
Features

Doctor at the Heart of Türkiye Newborn Baby Deaths Case Says He was a 'Trusted' Physician

A doctor takes the footprint of a newborn baby for his birth certificate at a private clinic in Ankara, October 16, 2011. The world's population will reach seven billion on October 31, according to projections by the United Nations. Picture taken October 16, 2011. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (Türkiye - Tags: SOCIETY HEALTH)
A doctor takes the footprint of a newborn baby for his birth certificate at a private clinic in Ankara, October 16, 2011. The world's population will reach seven billion on October 31, according to projections by the United Nations. Picture taken October 16, 2011. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (Türkiye - Tags: SOCIETY HEALTH)
TT
TT

Doctor at the Heart of Türkiye Newborn Baby Deaths Case Says He was a 'Trusted' Physician

A doctor takes the footprint of a newborn baby for his birth certificate at a private clinic in Ankara, October 16, 2011. The world's population will reach seven billion on October 31, according to projections by the United Nations. Picture taken October 16, 2011. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (Türkiye - Tags: SOCIETY HEALTH)
A doctor takes the footprint of a newborn baby for his birth certificate at a private clinic in Ankara, October 16, 2011. The world's population will reach seven billion on October 31, according to projections by the United Nations. Picture taken October 16, 2011. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (Türkiye - Tags: SOCIETY HEALTH)

The Turkish doctor at the center of an alleged fraud scheme that led to the deaths of 10 babies told an Istanbul court Saturday that he was a “trusted” physician.

Dr. Firat Sari is one of 47 people on trial accused of transferring newborn babies to neonatal units of private hospitals, where they were allegedly kept for prolonged and sometimes unnecessary treatments in order to receive social security payments.

“Patients were referred to me because people trusted me. We did not accept patients by bribing anyone from 112,” Sari said, referring to Türkiye's emergency medical phone line.

Sari, said to be the plot’s ringleader, operated the neonatal intensive care units of several private hospitals in Istanbul. He is facing a sentence of up to 583 years in prison in a case where doctors, nurses, hospital managers and other health staff are accused of putting financial gain before newborns’ wellbeing, The AP reported.

The case, which emerged last month, has sparked public outrage and calls for greater oversight of the health care system. Authorities have since revoked the licenses and closed 10 of the 19 hospitals that were implicated in the scandal.

“I want to tell everything so that the events can be revealed,” Sari, the owner of Medisense Health Services, told the court. “I love my profession very much. I love being a doctor very much.”

Although the defendants are charged with the negligent homicide of 10 infants since January 2023, an investigative report cited by the state-run Anadolu news agency said they caused the deaths of “hundreds” of babies over a much longer time period.

Over 350 families have petitioned prosecutors or other state institutions seeking investigations into the deaths of their children, according to state media.

Prosecutors at the trial, which opened on Monday, say the defendants also falsified reports to make the babies’ condition appear more serious so as to obtain more money from the state as well as from families.

The main defendants have denied any wrongdoing, insisting they made the best possible decisions and are now facing punishment for unavoidable, unwanted outcomes.

Sari is charged with establishing an organization with the aim of committing a crime, defrauding public institutions, forgery of official documents and homicide by negligence.

During questioning by prosecutors before the trial, Sari denied accusations that the babies were not given the proper care, that the neonatal units were understaffed or that his employees were not appropriately qualified, according to a 1,400-page indictment.

“Everything is in accordance with procedures,” he told prosecutors in a statement.

The hearings at Bakirkoy courthouse, on Istanbul’s European side, have seen protests outside calling for private hospitals to be shut down and “baby killers” to be held accountable.

The case has also led to calls for the resignation of Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu, who was the Istanbul provincial health director at the time some of the deaths occurred. Ozgur Ozel, the main opposition party leader, has called for all hospitals involved to be nationalized.

In a Saturday interview with the A Haber TV channel, Memisoglu characterized the defendants as “bad apples” who had been “weeded out.”

“Our health system is one of the best health systems in the world,” he said. “This is a very exceptional, very organized criminal organization. It is a mistake to evaluate this in the health system as a whole.”

Memisoglu also denied the claim that he shut down an investigation into the claims in 2016, when he was Istanbul’s health director, calling it “a lie and slander.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said this week that those responsible for the deaths would be severely punished but warned against placing all the blame on the country’s health care system.

“We will not allow our health care community to be battered because of a few rotten apples,” he said.